PSU Connect– Online

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute and Ministry of Steel Ministry signed MoU today, Steel Authority of India Limited has been associated as one of the industry partners for the R&D project proposal on ‘Development of steel slag-based cost-effective eco-friendly fertilizers for sustainable agriculture and inclusive growth through the Ministry of Steel, Government of India, and ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), commonly known as the Pusa Institute, is India’s national Institute for agricultural research, education and extension. The IARI was responsible for the research leading to the “Green Revolution in India” of the 1970s.

Yahoo News -Online

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has declared that the central government is considering chalking out a national database for farmers and initiating a data policy for the farm sector.

Currently, this database is being prepared from information that is available on the public forum as with the Department of Agriculture. Further, data silos in the government that connect the same to the digitised land records will also be utilised for this purpose.

The government is currently in the conclusive stages of finalising the ‘India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture’ (IDEA) that will prepare the framework for digital agriculture in the country.

KNN India – Online

In a bid to give fillip to the start-up ecosystem for promotion of agricultural products exports, APEDA in association with Agriculture University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan organised a programme where more than 430 farmers, students, traders and other stakeholders had participated.

According to an official statement on Friday, the orientation programme for start-ups in agri-export, was aimed at creating awareness among farmers and agriculture students in the western region of Rajasthan on agri-exports.

”The focus of the programme was to urge the Rajasthan government to adopt ‘agriculture export’ as a business opportunity for boosting livelihood and farmers’ income,” the statement added.

Financial Express – Online

Two successive years of crop damage due to heavy rain have forced many soyabean farmers in Madhya Pradesh to shift to paddy cultivation this season, which may result in lower than normal production of the oilseed crop for the third time in a row. Soyabean is the largest oilseed crop of the kharif season. Madhya Pradesh was the biggest producer of soyabean until 2018-19, when the output was close to 67 lakh tonne. However, production dropped to 49 lakh tonne in 2019-20 and marginally improved to about 51 lakh tonne the following year — much below the normal production of 65 lakh tonne. Maharashtra emerged as the biggest producer with about 62 lakh tonne in ...

Krishi Jagran – Online

The elearning courses on Small-scale Agricultural Mechanization Hire Services are ready. They are free of charge, as a global public good, in the FAO e-learning Academy. The course consists of 2 lessons, ranging from approximately 30 minutes duration each. The Topics dealt within the courses are:

Small-scale agricultural mechanization hire services as a business enterprise Local area and market assessment Selection, assessment and purchase of power sources and Implements Managing the hire service as a business  

The Indian Express – Online

At the height of the farm protests, the ideologically charged rhetoric that the new farm laws would result in a corporate takeover of Indian farms led to the toppling of Reliance cell towers in Punjab. Soon afterward, Reliance issued an official statement that the company had no interest in entering the farm sector. It’s this reluctance of private corporations, large or small, to plunge into the currents of Indian agriculture that ought to worry us all. Contrary to the dark warnings of capitalist takeovers, the mundane reality of a market economy is that firms survive by being prudent in taking risks. In contrast with the imperial era, when the East India Company grew by ...

Business Standard – Online

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday told the United Nations that the agriculture sector is key in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, saying 12 out of 17 SDGs are directly dependent on agriculture. Addressing a virtual UN Food Systems Summit, Tomar also noted that agriculture plays an important role in the socio-economic transformation of developing countries. India is committed towards achieving the 2030 SDGs and making its agri-food systems sustainable, he said in a statement.

DT Next – Online

Despite highlighting their grievances to Ranipet Collector AR Gladstone Pushparaj, the ryots received no firm commitment on opening of DPCs. Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam state youth wing president R Subash said, “officials only focus on the samba and kuruvai paddy seasons not understanding that paddy harvested in the recently concluded sornavari season is lying in the open as farmers lack space to store huge amounts of paddy.” This has resulted in paddy becoming wet due to daily rains. “Farmers are forced to dry paddy in any available area including roads, on tractor-trailers and even near village cremation sheds as the district is woefully short of drying sheds,” opined the association’s district treasurer N Rajamanickam.

Devdiscourse – Online

There has always been a lot of thrust on cooperative societies in developing countries, but have they lived up to their hype. There are some examples of success such as Grameen Bank in Bangladesh or Amul in India, but on a bigger landscape even the developing world is has been overrun by private enterprises. The video explores the effect of cooperatives in Kenya. Watch the video to know how it did in the country.

The Times Of India – Online

In the run-up to the Punjab assembly polls when questions are being raised over the state government’s unfulfilled election promise of complete farm loan waiver to nearly 15 lakh farmers in the state, as per the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) over 21.49 lakh bank accounts of Punjab have outstanding agriculture loans amounting to Rs 71,305 crore. Union minister of state for finance Bhagwat Karad shared this information in the ongoing monsoon session of the parliament on Monday. However, Karad made it clear, “There is no proposal under consideration of the Union government to waive farm loans.”

News Click – Online

A contingent of women farmers from Delhi’s neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana gathered on Monday at Jantar Mantar in the national capital for the ‘Kisan Sansad’ marking the completion of eight months of the farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s farm laws. Nearly 200 in strength, as allowed by the Delhi government, the women protested at Jantar Mantar and raised slogans demanding the scrapping of the three farm laws — 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.

The New Indian Express – Online

A walk via sinuous walkways leading through a wide variety of flora and fauna is undoubtedly a peaceful experience for all who come to Mango Meadows agriculture theme park in Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam. However, Covid has cast a shadow over the very existence of the park as its operations have gone off the track ever since the pandemic hit the state. The Covid-induced lockdowns and restrictions for the past one-and-a-quarter years have adversely affected the functioning of the park and its operational loss and the pending loans have accumulated to a whopping Rs 25 crore by now.

The Times Of India – Online

Despite the fact that Punjab has witnessed the worst of power crisis this paddy season and the state government’s burden on account of free power being provided to farmers for operating water pump sets or tubewells has touched Rs 6,735 crore this year, the state hasn’t fallen back on solar-powered water pumps too much, which would have otherwise helped tide over the crisis to a great extent. Punjab is way behind its neighbour Haryana in the installation of solar water pumps. Against a total of 14,254 solar water pumps installed in Haryana, Punjab has got hardly 2,925 till date.

Hindustan Times – Online

After the Centre said it has no record of farmers who have died during the agitation at Delhi’s borders against three agri laws since 2020, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday alleged that the government has been constantly “insulting” the farmers and demanded that it must repeal the legislations. Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed Parliament on Friday that the government has no record of farmers who have died during the agitation at Delhi’s borders against three new farm laws since last year.

The Times Of India – Online

The Haryana government has withdrawn its two-year-old plan to consolidate 3,000 acres in Kot village in the Aravalis and allot it to local residents for farming after it was found that more than 2,500 acres fell under the category of “gair mumkin pahar”, a protected land where any kind of construction or cutting of trees is prohibited. Environmentalists, who backed the move, said this was the fourth time in the past decade that consolidation of small patches of land in the area had been stopped. Under the Consolidation Act, the Haryana government pools small patches of common land and then allocates them to villagers for farming. However, it has often been seen that ...

Mint – Online

Extreme weather is slamming crops across the globe, bringing with it the threat of further food inflation at a time costs are already hovering near the highest in a decade and hunger is on the rise. The Food Price Index from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization rose for 12 consecutive months through May before easing in June to 124.6 points, still up 34% from a year earlier. The index measures international prices of a basket of food commodities. No other industry is more at the mercy of sun, rain and heat than agriculture, where changes in the weather can upend a farmer’s fortunes overnight. It’s also an industry that’s become extremely globalized and concentrated, creating ...

Krishi Jagran – Online

In the last 15 years, Bihar has seen a significant increase in agricultural exports. In 2006, the state’s total agriculture export was only Rs 3 crore. In 2020, it climbed to Rs 2,617 crore. N Sarvana Kumar, the state’s agriculture secretary, disclosed this on Friday during a presentation to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the state’s agricultural marketing efforts. The event took place in the CM residence’s ‘Sankalp’ hall. CM Nitish Kumar directed the agricultural department officials to boost agricultural export in the state at a quicker rate after reviewing the presentation. He predicted that as the volume of agricultural exports increased, state farmers’ income would rise.

Republic World – Online

India cracked into the top ten list of agricultural produce exporters in 2019 with a significant share within the export of rice, soya beans, cotton and meat, according to a World Trade Organisation (WTO) report on trends in world agricultural trade in recent 25 years. In 2019, India ranked ninth with a share of 3.1% in global agricultural exports. Earlier this place was New Zealand. Similarly, Mexico has ranked seventh with a share of 3.4% in global agricultural exports, which was previously followed by Malaysia. In 1995, the US was in first place in the list of top-10 countries with a share of 22.2%. In 2019, the European Union held the top spot with a share of 16.1% ...

The New Indian Express – Online

With the kharif season coinciding with the nesting period of crocodiles, farmers of riverside villages around Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara are faced with the threat of the reptiles’ presence in their agriculture land.

Recent sightings of crocodiles in paddy fields have only added to the panic. As the nesting season of the reptiles spans from May first week till July end, many female crocodiles are laying and guarding their eggs near agricultural lands and bushes in riverside villages. 

Live Mint – Online

: In a bid to boost exports of agricultural produce from Ladakh and enhance farmers’ incomes, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, or Apeda, has decided to promote and brand organic items from the region. The initiative will be executed in association with officials of the Union territory as well as the Defence Institute of High-Altitude Research (DIHAR).

“Following a series of interactions held recently at Ladakh, identified areas of work include enhancement of production of fruits with medicinal values including sea buckthorn, apricot and organic produce and introduction of the traceability system, capacity-building of farmers and value addition of products, ” commerce ministry said in a statement.

The New Indian Express – Online

The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK)-II at Rourkela continues to face operational hurdles in the absence of proper infrastructure and functioning in a limited manner for a decade now. The KVK-II acts as a single-window system for transfer of agriculture technology to farmers. 

Sources said, KVK-II, the second one for Sundargarh, was set up on a special consideration of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) of the Central Government in 2011.

The Indian Express – Online

Farmer Dilip Chandra Tarafdar was tired of fighting to keep his rice crop alive in the Bangladeshi coastal village of Chandipur. If the plants managed to grow in soil made salty by decades of cyclones and floods, then strong winds would snap their stalks or pests would wipe them out. So, ten years ago, Tarafdar, 45, looked to his ancestors and started cross-breeding seed varieties that used to thrive in the southwestern Shyamnagar region but are now on the edge of extinction after farmers moved onto higher-yielding varieties. His new type of rice, called Charulata, tolerates salty soil and water-logging, stays standing in high winds and grows well without fertilisers or pesticides, Tarafdar said.

Krishi Jargran – Online

India is an Agrarian economy with almost 58% of the people in the country depending on Agriculture and allied sectors for their livelihood. BSc. Agriculture is a one of the most lucrative career options in today’s world. It deals with subjects like food production, Horticulture, animal rearing, rural economy, and rural development etc.

Other industries might face downsizing but agriculture will never go through recession as food is a basic need for everyone. In fact development in technology, research and innovation has multiplied the scope of agriculture in a big way.

Mint – Online

Vegrow, a business-to-business (B2B) agritech platform for fruits and vegetables, on Tuesday said it has raised $13 million in a series A investment round co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Elevation Capital. The round also saw participation from existing investors Matrix Partners India, Ankur Capital, Better Capital and Titan Capital.

Founded in 2020 by IIT alumni Praneeth Kumar, Shobhit Jain, Mrudhukar Batchu and Kiran Naik, Vegrow has a presence in over 30 cities. The startup’s technology platform powers farm discovery, produce quality profiling, market intelligence to smart matchmaking between farm-level inventory and customer requirements.

BW Disrupt – Online

Agriculture in India has not seen any major evolution since the green revolution back in the 1960’s. India is at an inflection point with an impending Agri-tech revolution closely following the footsteps of ed-tech & fin-tech.

Currently, India holds the record of being the second-largest agricultural land globally. Around 60% rural households in India make their living from agriculture, creating a great scope for Agri-Tech start-ups in the country. Research shows that the total Agri-Tech market will be approx. $24 Billion by 2025 while the current market is placed at $204 million which is ~1% of the overall potential.

Devdiscourse – Online

The number of farmer-producer organisations FPOs in Maharashtra saw a jump in the lockdown-hit of 2020, an official from the Agricultural Technology Management Agency ATMA said. As many as 1,622 companies were formed in Maharashtra in 2020, which is more than double that in 2019, and the figure in the state this year has crossed the 5,000-mark, the official told PTI on Tuesday. Farmers in many areas came together and sold their agri produce directly to customers during the lockdown period.

The Economic Times – Online

The total contribution of agriculture and its allied sector has increased 26.8% – from Rs 16,09,198 crore during 2013-14 to Rs 20,40,079 crore during 2020-21 – in terms of value, said Narendra Singh Tomar, minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare while responding to a question in Lok Sabha on the role of research in development of agriculture use sector. “The total agricultural exports have also shown continuous rise and the total value of the export of agricultural and allied commodities during the period 2013-14 and 2020-21 was Rs 2,62,778.52 crore and Rs 3,10,338.47 crore respectively showing an increase of 18.1 percent,” he added.

Jagran Josh – Online

On 29 June 2021, the Centre launched the Atmanirbhar Krishi App in order to provide farmers with actionable agricultural information and early weather alerts. 

The information relevant to the farmers curated by various government departments on the national digital platform ‘KisanMitr’ is now being available through the Atmanirbhar Krishi App. The app has been designed and built by the Tech Mahindra Makers Lab team.

Business Today – Online

The agriculture sector in India stands at the crossroads of transformation. The green revolution – characterised by intensive modern farming techniques, high yielding variety (HYV) seeds and fertilisers, remains the most distinctive phase in the Indian agriculture sector. 

However, with rising consciousness for food safety and sustainable farming in India and around the world, it is imperative to reimagine the future course of India’s agri sector.   

Agriculture is often attributed as the backbone of the Indian economy as 42% of the workforce depends on the agricultural sector to earn their livelihood. It contributes 19.9% to the GDP, indicating its significance to the country’s economy.

Krishi Jagran – Online

A training program of a select 35 candidates was initiated at the Jay Bajrang Pratishtan under Agri Clinics & Agri Business Centre’s Scheme on 15th July, 2021 at Baraut, Uttar Pradesh.  The chief guest of the inauguration function was Jagbir Singh, Ex Senior Consultant MANAGE. Other dignitaries present during the function was Dr. Jagdish Singh Guliya, Ex Joint Director-, and Mr. Vinod Kumar VLDO-Baghpat. 

In the beginning, Nodal Officer J.K. Sheoran welcomed guests & students. After self introduction of participants, Nodal Officer gave orientation of training program & requested participants to attend program whole heartedly and take maximum benefit of it. In the inaugural speech, chief guest high-lightened about various opportunities of self employment available in agriculture sector. 

The Times of India – Online

Indian businesses rank fifth among 12 Asia Pacific (APAC) nations for risk of automation and ninth for the level of preparedness, a study by Deloitte and global software firm Autodesk showed. India has a greater likelihood of being impacted by automation due to larger employment shares in agriculture, manufacturing and construction, it added. At the same time, industries considered to be at lower risk of automation -namely education, public administration and finance- comprise only 7% of India’s total employment. India’s preparedness score, which measures the ability of countries to capitalise on automation and help disadvantaged workers, stood at 44% compared to the APAC average of 55%. Australia received the highest score at 72%, ...

Headlines of Today – Online

nurture.farm – a digital platform for growers, farming communities and food systems, is scaling and expanding its global reach as a part of the OpenAg™ network. The OpenAg™ network was conceived by UPL Ltd, a world leader in sustainable agriculture.

The nurture.farm platform fosters resilient farmers, making agriculture simple, profitable and sustainable for generations to come through technology-led solutions covering every step of the farming life cycle. nurture.farm, which was incubated by UPL, will operate as an open platform in the supply of products, innovation and mechanisation.

The New Indian Express – Online

Even as farm mechanisation is one of the thrust areas of Odisha Agriculture Policy-2019, manufacturers of agricultural implements in the State are facing a tough time without any purchase orders from the government in the last two years.

The Agriculture department procures farm implements like harvesters, tractors, power tillers, pumps and manual/bullock drawn and small power implements. These implements are supplied to farmers at a subsidised rate.

Hindustan Times – Online

Arguably, the Green Revolution remains the most defining phase of Indian agriculture in the last century. An input-intensive and technology-focused approach helped India avert potential famines and meet its food security needs by reducing food imports. While the Green Revolution has ensured India’s self-sufficiency for our cereal needs and has touched most Indian farmers, its long-term impacts are now visibly evident. Be it degrading topsoil, declining groundwater levels, contaminating water bodies, and reducing biodiversity. Crop yields are unable to sustain themselves without increased fertiliser use. Fragmented land holdings and associated low farm incomes are pushing many smallholders towards non-farm economic activities.

Hindustan Times – Online

Pune district, which has not received sufficient rainfall in July so far, have seen completion of 54% of sowing activity. Last year, by July 15, 70 per cent of the sowing was completed. Last year, by July 15 sowing on 177,000 hectares was completed. This year, only 99,356 hectares have been sown. “The sowing of rice has been impacted on a large scale in Khed, Junnar, Ambegaon, Mulshi, Bhor, and Velhe. Those who have an irrigation facility are managing to water the crops, while other crops are getting damaged,” said Dnyaneshwar Bote, district agriculture officer.

Krishi Jagran – Online

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) recently announced that monsoon has covered the whole country. Yet, many parts of India are still waiting for a good rain. Due to the deficiency of rain in several parts of the country, the soil has become moisture-deficit and farmers are thinking of re-sowing rain-dependent Kharif crops like soyabean and maize. These areas are Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. According to farmers, the weather office had done a short-term forecast for a fortnight. They had based their sowing on this forecast. Now, it seems that the forecast was off the mark. Rains are still awaited.

Hans India – Online

Minister for Transport Puvvada Ajay Kumar informed that the government is adopting modern techniques for getting more yield in the cultivating of paddy. He participated in Palle Pragathi programme from the June 1st to 10th in the villages of erstwhile Khammam district and educated the farmers on the new technology of farming. He along with local leaders sows seeds in fields and encouraged the farmers.

Devdiscourse – Online

The Assam government on Wednesday said the Food Corporation of India FCI has not fulfilled its commitment on paddy procurement in the state, and it will try to force the organisation to purchase the crop from farmers. Participating in a discussion under special mention by AGP legislator Ramendra Narayan Kalita and Congress MLA Nandita Das in the Assam Assembly, Agriculture Minister Atul Bora said the state government is working to increase the crop procurement at the minimum support price. The FCI did not respect its commitment regarding procurement.

Telengana Today – Online

With increasing paddy production in the State year after year, a Cabinet sub-committee has been constituted to take steps for setting up new industrial units including processing units as well as increase crop storage capacity, milling and marketing among others. The Cabinet sub-committee headed by Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, will have Ministers T Harish Rao, KT Rama Rao, Gangula Kamalakar, A Indrakaran Reddy, Puvvada Ajay Kumar, P Sabitha Indra Reddy, Vemula Prashanth Reddy and G Jagadish Reddy.

Hindustan Times – Online

Farmers are unwilling to adopt the direct seeding of rice (DSR) technique as an alternative to sowing of paddy with traditional puddling due to an “abundant availability of water”, a study conducted by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has revealed. The study, funded by the Punjab State Farmers’ and Farm Workers’ Commission, focused on the paddy crop pattern in 2020. The DSR helps save water consumption by at least 15% when compared to the traditional method and also saves in terms of labour cost. “Besides abundance of irrigation water, the farmers’ trust in the well-established paddy transplantation and no experience of DSR were also seen as the reasons behind non-adoption of the new method,” adds ...

The News Mill – Online

Presently, ~50 to 60 million people depend on cotton cultivation, marketing, processing and exports for their livelihood across India. In the last few years, the cultivation of cotton has been steadily declining globally and the world cotton farming experienced dramatic developments in 2020/21 due to an unprecedented pressure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While India is one of the largest producers of cotton in the world, persistent adoption of unsustainable agricultural practices for the largely water-intensive crop, extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides as well as genetic modification has posed a significant challenge that needs immediate attention.

Down To Earth – Online

In agriculture, labour is an important component, but is usually not under consideration most of the time. Landless agricultural labour is a vital factor in agricultural production. These labourers’ productivity and earnings are an important determinant of the level of economic development. I will focus on asset strategies of landless agricultural labourers who invest their time in growing crops on others’ farms, without any stake in farm assets. Strategies to develop assets of landless agricultural labour are a neglected area in India.

The WEEK – Online

It is no secret that India’s biggest asset are those who work in the agriculture and allied sectors. Every sweat that beads down their brows rejuvenate India, revitalising the country with the energy to move forward. The recent cabinet decision that has pushed for revolutionary reforms in the agricultural infrastructure sector is aimed at delivering world class infrastructure at the farm gates and aggregation points (mandis). On May 15, 2020, Rs 1 lakh crore agriculture infrastructure fund was proposed. It was passed in the cabinet on July 8, 2020 and was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 9, 2020. The purpose of this fund was to give medium-long term debt financing facility for ...

Business Standard – Online

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution has said that the government has paid Rs 11,141.28 crore to the farmers as MSP in Uttar Pradesh as the state records highest ever procurement of wheat. It said, 58 per cent more wheat was procured in rabi marketing season (RMS) 2021-22 in Uttar Pradesh as compared to RMS 2020-21. Record 56.41 LMT procurement of wheat has been done during Rabi Marketing Season 2021-22 in Uttar Pradesh as compared to 35.77 LMT wheat procured from 6.64 lakh farmers in RMS 2020-21.

Scroll – Online

On a cold morning in the early winter of 2019, farmer Shekhar Chauhan reached his small sugarcane farm to start a regular workday, only to find it flooded. The boundary of a nearby drain had broken and water spilled into the farms in the Muzaffarnagar district of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. A significant amount of Chauhan’s crops was lost. Chauhan complained to the management of one of the eight sugar mills in the district. He said the mill was releasing water in the narrow drain. “The sugar mill officials unclogged the drain and fixed it,” Chauhan said. “But when the mill started operating the following year, it was the same story.” This time, ...

The Economic Times – Online

New farm laws will ultimately help farmers get better returns as the legislations provide for competition by allowing them to sell their produce to even corporates like Reliance NSE 0.42 % and ITC NSE 0.30 % for good prices, Chief Economic Advisor K Subramanian said on Monday. The farm laws were cleared by Parliament last year but the Supreme Court, in January 2021, suspended their implementation amidst protests from farmers.

The Times Of India – Online

The agriculture and allied sectors remained strong during the pandemic, registering a growth of 3.5 per cent in 2020-21, mainly due to the hard work of farmers, skills of scientists, and government’s farmer-friendly policies, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Monday. “Our agriculture and rural sector, which has been showing strength for years, has stood strong even during this pandemic and has contributed to the Indian economy. The tireless hard work of the farmers, the skill of the scientists and the farmer-friendly policies of the government, and the resolve of the progress of the villages showed a new ray of hope in the Corona crisis,” the agriculture minister said.

Business Standard – Online

India’s merchandise exports have been rising consistently over the past seven months, signalling a gradual recovery from the disruption caused by the second wave of Covid-19. Experts said that apart from a robust demand from key external markets, a sustained rise in outbound shipments can also be attributed to a rally in commodity prices, as well as weakening of the domestic currency. “While exports are primarily driven by (external) demand, higher exports are the result of a combination of some other factors as well such a rise in commodity prices. Rupee has weakened marginally; so, some kind of export-push is also being provided by the prices. Steps taken by the government, such as credit guarantee ...

The New Indian Express – Online

Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu, on Sunday, said that offering better prices for produce, timely and affordable credit to farmers and support to allied sectors, like horticulture, aquaculture, dairy farming, fisheries and pisciculture, were crucial in sustaining agriculture in the country. Speaking at the launch of the book, ‘Palleku Pattabhishekam’, written by former MP Yalamanchili Shivaji, at Dr Marri Chenna Reddy Human Resource Development Institute in Hyderabad on Sunday, the VP observed that timely provision of assistance to farmers could not only help India achieve self-sufficiency, but also enable the country to supply food globally.

The Indian Express – Online

A month back, when agri-commodity analyst Deepak Chavan installed Clubhouse on his phone, it was only to satisfy his curiosity. The social audio app had started to gain popularity in India, and Chavan, a veteran in the field of media and communication, wanted to see what the fuss was all about. After a few days of exploring the audio drop in platform, he realised it could act as an important link in the chain of agriculture extension – the practice of giving farmers expert advice on skills and techniques that could be used to boost productivity – and thus was born The Indian Farmer’s Club. Barely a couple of weeks into existence, the virtual ...

Daily Thanthi – Online

Summer harvesting is in full swing in Thiruvarur district. Of this, 7 thousand 109 hectares have been completed. Thiruvarur district is the largest producer of paddy in the Cauvery delta region of Tamil Nadu. The area has better soil fertility for paddy production than other crops. In most of the places here, agriculture is done by relying on river irrigation. Thus the Cauvery water has been the lifeblood of the plowing industry. The Mettur Dam has been open for irrigation for the last 2 years due to depletion of water. In view of this, paddy purchasing centers are being set up by the Consumer Goods Corporation to procure paddy from farmers, taking into account the ...

The Indian Express – Online

DESPITE ATTEMPTS by the state government to encourage crop diversification from the water-guzzling paddy crop, it appears that this year too, Punjab will miss its target due to lack of policies and no assured price on alternative crops. Punjab has completed sowing of paddy and other Kharif crops including cotton on over 19 lakh hectares till date. The state had targeted 3.25 lakh hectares, 5.37 lakh hectares and 1.50 lakh hectares under cotton, basmati and maize crops, respectively, this year. But even if this target is achieved, around 30-31 lakh hectares area is still expected to come under rice cultivation including 26-26.50 lakh hectares under paddy (non-Basmati) — which is more than double of ...

The Indian Express – Online

A few days after the central government announced stock limits for every stakeholder in pulses trade, traders across the country continue to protest against the move. While traders in parts of Maharashtra have called for a day-long bandh, other traders have decided to discontinue buying the produce as they will not be able to adhere to the stock limit. To curb rising prices of pulses, the central government had introduced stock limits on holding of pulses. As per the directive, wholesale traders and importers can now stock up to 200 tonnes (with a cap of 100 tonnes for a single pulse) and retailers can stock 2 tonnes of pulses. Processors and millers can stock ...

Deccan Chronicle – Online

To meet proteins requirements, there is a need to increase the land area for cultivation of pulses not only in Telangana region but also across the nation. This was recommended by the associate director of Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) Dr Jaganmohan Rao. He was participating in the field-day programme organised under the district agricultural advisory and transfer of technology centre (DAATTC) in association with the Professor Jayashankar Telangana state agricultural university (PJTSAU) at Venkatraopally village under Boinapallh mandal in Rajanna Sircilla district on Thursday.

Krishi Jagran – Online

On July 7 2021, there was a major reshuffle of the union cabinet. A number of key portfolios like Health, law, information agriculture and fisheries got changed in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s council of ministers. Shobha Karandlaje (Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare). Bhupendra Yadav (Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate change and Minister of labor & employment). Purushottam Rupala (Minister of Fisheries, Animal husbandry and Dairying). Murugan (MoS for fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; Information and Broadcasting). Pashupati Kumar Paras (Minister of Food processing Industries). Bhagwant Khuba (MoS New & Renewable Energy and Chemicals & Fertilizers)

The New Indian Express – Online

Reiterating the government’s commitment to developing agriculture and allied sectors to ensure farmers’ welfare, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said agriculture will always remain the topmost priority of his government. “We never compromised on farmers’ welfare even when the government was facing financial problems due to the Covid pandemic,” he pointed out. Addressing a public gathering at Rayadurgam in Anantapur district on Thursday on the occasion of the Farmers’ Day, celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, Jagan said he is walking in the footsteps of his father, who believed that state will progress only when farmers and farmhands are happy.

Hindustan Times – Online

Madhya Pradesh has initiated the process of revoking the implementation orders issued following the passage last year of the Centre’s three farm laws. Officials said this is being done since the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the legislation in January. Thousands of farmers have camped at Delhi’s borders in protest against the laws which farmers say will benefit private buyers. Madhya Pradesh will check interstate transportation of the agricultural produce and resume taxation on it as part of the process. “The 54 checking points, set up at border areas to check interstate transportation of agriculture produce from Mandis, were closed in June last year after the implementation of three new farm laws. After the ...

Jagran – Online

In the changing environment, the method of direct sowing of paddy is now pleasing to the farmers. In Surhuria village of the block, on Wednesday, under the supervision of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, in the fields of other farmers including Sarpanch Satyanand Ram of Aged Kala, farmers Bhikhari Singh, Paramhans Singh, Satyadev Singh, Awadhesh Ram, direct sowing of paddy was done from drum seeder. Along with this, other farmers sowed from drum seeder and got to know its specialty. Agricultural scientist Dr. Ratan Kumar from Krishi Vigyan Kendra Bikramganj had reached Surhuria village with a drum seeder.

Amar Ujala – Online

This year many farmers are associated with DSR and Mera Pani Meri Virasat Yojana. The working area covers 72 villages and about 14,000 hectares of land is under paddy cultivation. Agriculture Development Officer Sukhbir Narwal said that this year the target of sowing paddy in 370 acres was set by DSR method, whereas in 700 acres of land, paddy has been sown by farmers by DSR method. Even if there is no water in the field, paddy can be sown by DSR method. After this watering is to be done within 24 hours of sowing. No water is needed for about 15-20 days. Whereas in transplantation method, water is required in the field even at ...

The Economic Times – Online

Groundwater level in northwest India has dipped to alarming levels, especially in Punjab and Haryana, according to a new study. The research paper published by IIT Kanpur has used more than 4,000 groundwater well data from northwest India to demonstrate that groundwater levels in the states of Punjab and Haryana have fallen to alarming levels in the last four-five decades. India is the largest user of groundwater in the world for irrigation, domestic and industrial needs. The total annual groundwater abstraction in India is about 245 km3, out of which about 90 per cent is consumed for irrigation.

The Times Of India – Online

Though the agriculture sector was largely exempted from stringent Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 and this year, new and long-standing problems — labour shortage, fluctuating demand, poor price realisation, transportation hurdles and inadequate government support — left farmers in many parts reeling. Moving produce to markets in and outside the state has been particularly difficult because of general disruptions caused by Covid lockdowns. Mango farmers, for instance, struggled to shift stocks on time. In Udupi, farming costs have gone up. Farmer Ajith A said that the daily wage of women workers had increased from Rs 300 to Rs 350 and that of men from Rs 500 to Rs 550. “The cost of renting a ...

Hans India – Online

Chief MinisterYS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the authorities to pay close attention to e-cropping as this is a one-stop solution for every welfare scheme like input subsidy, insurance, interest-free loans, and many more. He discussed with district collectors and SPs on a wide range of issues, including Covid, e-cropping, housing, and other welfare schemes, during the Spandana video conference, here on Tuesday. He said that farmers must be given a receipt along with digital acknowledgment listing out all e-crop details, as this receipt could come in handy for the farmer to claim when something goes wrong. He said that the government is also bringing the Rythu Bharosa Unified Digital Platform app and doing geofencing for ...

Business Standard – Online

The Centre on Monday said it set a record in wheat procurement at 43.32 million tonnes (mt) so far in the current 2021-22 rabi marketing season. In paddy procurement too, the government has procured a record 86.20 mt till July 4 of the 2020-21 kharif marketing season (October-September). The previous record in wheat procurement was 38.99 mt achieved in the 2020-21 season (April-March). Food Corporation Chairman and Managing Director Atish Chandra said Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir recorded their best wheat procurement while a record 4.91 million farmers benefitted this year against 4.33 million last year.

The New Indian Express – Online

Washermanpet welcomes within its fold a heritage garden of the likes you are not likely to have witnessed anywhere else in the country. Set in the century-old property that once housed the British-era Government Agriculture Engineering Workshop, the Horticulture Heritage Garden boasts of a 6,000-square-foot lawn that has over 100 native plants and trees painstakingly raised by the Horticulture Department. The heritage garden itself is spread across 3.8 acres. It also houses a hydroponics wing, raising a whole range of greens using nutrient solutions.But, that’s not all. The engineering workshop that was shut down in 2002 still hosts a number of tools and machines brought in to serve the needs of the British-ruled ...

The Economic Times – Online

Retail prices of pulses are showing a declining trend after the government’s interventions, Union Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said on Monday. The recent imposition of stock limits on wholesalers, retailers, millers and importers of pulses will further have a cooling effect on retail prices, he added. “Barring masoor dal, prices of all other pulses have declined continuously in the last 4-5 weeks both in retail and wholesale markets,” Pandey said in a virtual press briefing.

CNBC TV18 – Online

Will food inflation follow the steep hike seen in petroleum product prices? It stood at 5.26 percent in May as against 4.78 percent in April and 5.88 percent in May last year. Siraj Hussain, former agriculture secretary, while talking about steps taken by the government to ensure that the commodity prices do not run much higher, especially for the consumers, said that people can live with the petroleum inflation but not with food. Speaking in an interview with CNBC-TV18, he said, “The government is concerned about food inflation because people can live with the inflation in petroleum products but not with food.”

The New Indian Express – Online

The much-awaited event for the farming community – the Krishi Mela — which is organised by the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), may be cancelled this year too. Last year too, the fair was postponed as the pandemic was at its peak. The fair attracts lakhs of farmers and experts from across the world. Shekappa Patil, a farmer, said the Krishi Mela helps farmers in many ways as experts from various fields related to agriculture share their ideas and seeds and equipment are available for sale at competitive prices. Hoping that the mela will be held against the odds, he said, “It will be good if the government and the university authorities show ...

The New Indian Express – Online

Farmers from a few villages of Konaseema in East Godavari district have declared a crop holiday in protest against the failure of the authorities to desilt mud accumulated in the drains. With the clogging of drains, the drain water is entering agriculture fields and damaging the crops, they alleged. Paddy cultivation in nearly 800 acres will be affected if crop holiday comes into play. The farmers incurred losses during the previous Kharif and Rabi seasons after water entered their fields. Farmers in villages of Inapuram, Kothalanka, Somudevarapalem and neighbouring villages in Mummidivaram mandal have decided to take crop holiday. The Kharif season has begun in the district and the irrigation department officials have ...

The New Indian Express – Online

A similar tragedy could follow due to our disregard for the pricing of water. To be fair, water is essential for survival, which makes it slightly different from electricity (although some may even argue that electricity is a necessity to sustain life in the 21st century). However, the question is not about the pricing of the minimum amount of water needed by an individual. Instead, it pertains to the pricing of water consumed in excess of this. But even before we get to the pricing issues pertaining to water supply by state governments, the more challenging issue is regarding the use of groundwater. Indeed, in several parts of the country, groundwater is the ...

The Indian Express – Online

India’s annual consumer food inflation in May, at 5 percent, stood way below the corresponding global rate of 39.7 percent. India was lucky last year with the monsoon, which enabled the farm sector to grow even amid a pandemic-induced economic contraction. The bumper harvests also ensured that soaring international food prices from around October didn’t translate into higher domestic inflation, barring in import-dependent commodities such as edible oils and, to an extent, pulses. India’s annual consumer food inflation in May, at 5 percent, stood way below the corresponding global rate of 39.7 percent. This year, however, looks to be different. While rainfall was 74 percent above normal in May and 33 percent in the ...

Hindustan Times – Online

Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on Sunday said it was ensuring eight-hour power supply to agriculture tubewells for paddy sowing in spite of steep increase in demand across domestic sector. In a statement, chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of the corporation A Venu Prasad said the PSPCL’s priority was to fulfil the requirements for the agri sector in view of ongoing paddy season and farmers across the state are being provided minimum of eight hours of uninterrupted power supply.

Deccan Chronicle – Online

The steady hike in diesel price is putting a huge financial burden on the farming community and increasing their hardships in these Covid times. Farmers are already troubled with meagre prices for their produce and due to other farm-related issues in the 13 districts of AP. The diesel price rose to 99.12 per litre and could touch100 any time. The use of machinery in farming activities became inevitable — from land tilling to transportation — and the frequent hikes in diesel price are turning cultivation into a costly affair. The price was 65.25 per litre in 2018 and it doubled by July 2021 to 99.12.

The New Indian Express – Online

Despite the BJP onslaught over paddy procurement lapses, the State government on Saturday made it clear that the purchase process is over and there is no scope for keeping the mandis open as the last date of sale fixed by the Centre was June 30. The announcement came at a time when BJP MLAs had requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to seek the permission of the Central government for extension of procurement date till July 15 as many farmers could not sell their produce due to lapse of token and other mismanagement in the procurement system. “No more paddy will be procured as the time scheduled by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) ...

Aaj Tak – Online

Agriculture is the largest unorganized sector of the country. This sector has suffered the most due to the two lockdowns caused by the Corona epidemic. A farmer was forced to plow his field on a bicycle in Agur, Thiruthani, Tamil Nadu. The farmer’s son and other family members are also helping in this work. 37-year-old Nagraj and his brother take care of their ancestral farm. Earlier they used to cultivate paddy traditionally. But after taking a lot of loss in it, Nagraj decided to grow the crop of Sammangi/Champak. Its flowers are used to make garlands and during ceremonies in temple-worship places.

Jagran – Online

Agricultural scientists have given better farming tips to the farmers during the rainy season. By following the advice of agricultural scientists, farmers can increase the production of food grains in the fields. here we farmers. The Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Science (SHUAT) in Naini introduces agricultural scientists to advanced farming tips. The agricultural scientists of Shuats have advised the farmers to complete the transplanting of medium and late-maturing varieties of paddy in the first fortnight of the month. Told that transplanting of early maturing varieties can be done by the second fortnight of July. This will result in a good harvest. There will also be an adverse effect on production.

The Economic Times – Online

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday said the Centre should not put conditions if it wants to resume talks with the protesting farmers. His remarks come after Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar asserted that the three new central agriculture laws would bring revolutionary changes in the lives of farmers, and made it clear that the government was ready to hold talks with the protestors, except on the demand of the repeal of these laws.

Hindustan Times – Online

In a series of tweets, Mayawati said that the people of the Congress government and should vote for BSP-Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the next Assembly polls. “Congress government is responsible for poor management of industry-business, agriculture, farming in Punjab. All of this has been badly affected due to power crisis in State. Ruling government is only engaged in factionalism, tussle and conflict. Public needs to take its cognizance,” said Mayawati in a tweet.

Free Press Journal – Online

Agricultural sector’s contribution in the national GDP has risen to 18 to 20% from 13% during BJP Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Farmers’ income in the country will be doubled by 2022 for which every possible effort is being made by the Union Government. This was claimed by national vice president BJP Kisan Morcha Bansilal Gurjar today while speaking as chief speaker at the online ‘Chintan’ session organized by the District BJP unit on ‘Reforms in the Agriculture sector and achievements’.

Swarajya – Online

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa-led Karnataka government’s land reforms from last year have reinvigorated the agricultural land market of the state. The reforms that permitted non-agriculturists to purchase farmland has led to a 67.3 percent growth in the number of transactions in the agricultural land there had been an increased interest in buying agricultural land following the pandemic-induced slump. He claimed that both fresher and experienced investors are delving into the agricultural land market as they pursue a long-term investment, low-interest investment in the real estate sector.

Times Now News – Online

Climate change is likely to affect agricultural productivity in Maharashtra, especially in four major crops soybean, cotton, wheat and gram, according to a report. Maharashtra faces an increasing risk from climate change that is likely to impact the production of the four crops grown in the state, according to a report by a global not-for-profit organisation Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC). The report, titled ‘Climate Change Impacts on Maharashtra Agriculture’, has examined week-wise 30-year averages of years 1989-2018 and predicted rainfall and temperature data for years 2021-50 for eight districts across Khandesh, Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of the state.

Hindustan Times – Online

The state agriculture department has said that incase power supply remains erratic, it will adversely impact paddy sowing. In a communication to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), the agriculture department has reiterated its demand for 8-hour uninterrupted power supply for agriculture feeders. To date, paddy has been sown on 17 lakh hectare and at least 45% (13 lakh hectare) of total 30.2 lakh hectare is to be sown. The demand for power is expected to rise further when basmati sowing begins from second week of July. Officials in the department said farmers are already in a fix over erratic power supply.

Down To Earth – Online

Paddy farmers protested across Odisha, alleging that not all of their produce have been procured. They sought an extension of 2021 kharif procurement beyond June 30. Around 21,000 paddy farmers in Odisha have not been able to sell their produce despite being registered under the paddy procurement system. The minimum support price (MSP) of paddy is Rs 1,868 per quintal. “The farmers in the region will be forced to distress sell paddy at Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per quintal if the government fails to procure their entire produce,” Lingaraj Pradhan, a farmers’ leader, said.

Gaon Connection – Online

Paddy cultivation traditionally requires a lot of water. However, methods have evolved over the years that use less water, yet yield more produce. The aerobic method is one of them that is becoming increasingly popular with paddy cultivators across the country, because it requires neither the expensive field irrigation nor transplantation. “The conventional technique is water-intensive because considerable water is consumed in the nursery first. Then, once the saplings are transplanted, they have to be watered once again,” Vinod Kumar Srivastava, scientist at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, told Gaon Connection. The aerobic method of sowing can be adopted even where there are few irrigation resources, he added.

Krishi Jagran – Online

Assam is a paradise for many forms of agriculture, producing a wide range of crops, and then manufacturing things from them. You will be pleased to learn that, unlike other agricultural hubs like Karnataka, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab etc. this region is a haven of farming naturally rather than artificially. To increase productivity, cultivators in these areas employ more artificial machinery and chemical fertilizers; yet, Assam is a natural center. Assam does not require these items in the same way that these states do.

The New Indian Express – Online

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has appreciated Italy for highlighting food security and said the Matera Declaration reflects the Indian concern on issues including the welfare of small and medium farmers, and recognising agri-diversity. Jaishankar shared his views on contemporary challenges at the G-20 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Meeting in Matera, Italy, on Tuesday. “Appreciate Italy for highlighting food security. The Matera Declaration reflects the Indian concern for the welfare of small & medium farmers, promoting local food cultures and recognising agri-diversity,” he said in a tweet.

Business Standard – Online

Climate change is likely to affect agricultural productivity in Maharashtra, especially in four major crops soybean, cotton, wheat and gram, according to a report. Maharashtra faces an increasing risk from climate change that is likely to impact the production of the four crops grown in the state, according to a report by a global not-for-profit organisation Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC). The report, titled ‘Climate Change Impacts on Maharashtra Agriculture’, has examined week-wise 30-year averages of years 1989-2018 and predicted rainfall and temperature data for years 2021-50 for eight districts across Khandesh, Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of the state.

The Indian Express – Online

A farmer for the last 15 years, Amrik Singh (40) says that it is for the first time since he began farming that he has been forced to use generator for over four hours daily to run his tubewells to water paddy fields. The 40-year-old, who ploughs 20 paddy fields including 10 on rent, says that his village, Sansarpur in district Jalandhar, is only getting 5 hours power supply against 8 hours promised by PSPCL. And there are days when there is no power throughout the day due to faults. “I am getting power supply on our tubewells in the village from 5 pm to 10 pm which is not sufficient to keep the ...

Financial Express – Online

The first month of the June-September monsoon season has recorded rains 10% above normal with each of the four regions — East and North-East, North-West, Central and South Peninsular — reporting surplus precipitation. However, the surplus rains could not help sowing activities as monsoon has been stalled since June 19 and is unlikely to revive before July 7, as per latest forecast. For the country as a whole, cumulative rainfall during this year’s southwest monsoon season’s rainfall until June 30 has been about 10% above the Long Period Average (LPA) with actual rainfall recorded at 18.29 cm against normal of 16.69 cm, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement.