Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Elearning Courses on Small-Scale Agricultural Mechanization Hire Services by FAOedit
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 businessFarm reforms must be oriented towards minimising risk and increasing returns for farmersedit
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 ...
Agriculture sector key for achieving SDGs by 2030: Tomar to UN bodyedit
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.
Technology in Agriculture
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University presents demo of drone technologyedit
India Today – Online
Tamil Nadu Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister M R K Panneerselvam on Wednesday inspected research activities, technologies, and improved crop varieties developed by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU). During the visit, the Minister declared open the vermicompost unit, pellatization of forage crops for the production of nutritive fodder pellets for enhancing livestock productivity. He inspected the ultra-high density mango-planting and witnessed the demonstration of drone technology in agriculture for spraying pesticide and nutrients at TNAU orchard. The Minister visited the arid fruit zone orchard and also the renovated botanical garden at the university.
Govt. Policies
Chhattisgarh plans biofuel production from paddyedit
Money Control – Online
Chhattisgarh had planned an ambitious scheme of making biofuel from jatropha. But it failed due to shortage in seed supply. The state is now planning to make biofuel from paddy. The State has signed a memorandum of understanding with nine private players and two public companies, the Indian Oil Corporation and the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, to take this idea forward. Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel stresses that there are several benefits of using surplus paddy for biofuel.
Monsoon + Indian Agriculture
How the deficient monsoon could dent the economic recoveryedit
India Today – Online
ven as India recovers from the devastating second wave of Covid-19 cases and the economy shows signs of normalisation, a new crisis awaits the government and the Indian economy. A good monsoon usually brings renewal and recovery, especially when times are grim. The right amount of rainfall brings the promise of a bumper harvest, boosting rural incomes and demand, driving an essential economic cycle. However, this year’s delayed and patchy monsoon is unlikely to live up to the hopes raised a few months ago, when above-normal rainfall was predicted.
Extent of kharif crop damage now doubles to 3 lakh hectare in Maharashtraedit
The Times Of India – Online
The damage to kharif crops in Maharashtra after the recent floods has now doubled to 3 lakh hectare from the earlier estimate of 1.5 lakh hectare. Paddy in all districts of Konkan has been affected, with the maximum damage in Kolhapur and Sangli districts, state agriculture department officials told TOI on Wednesday. Another state agriculture department official told TOI that Kolhapur registered the maximum crop losses. Crops in Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Washim, Nagpur, Chandrapur and Wardha in Vidarbha were also damaged.
Haryana records 23% more rainfall than normaledit
Hindustan Times – Online
As per the rainfall report from the meteorology department of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University (Hisar), Haryana has reported 26.1mm rainfall in the past 24 hours. A maximum of 67.3mm rainfall was reported in Kaithal, 66.3mm in Kurukshetra, 57.8mm in Ambala, 49.1mm in Karnal, and 45.3mm in Yamunanagar.
Dr ML Khichar, head of the agriculture meteorological department at the university, said the overall rainfall recorded in Haryana this season is 235.4mm which is 23% more than the normal 191.4mm. “With persistence of the weather systems, the activity of monsoon is likely to continue over the state till July 31, due to which light to moderate rain and thundershowers are likely to occur at most ...
Bihar hands out paddy seed to farmers who suffered losses in floodsedit
Hindustan Times – Online
Bihar has allocated direct seeded rice (DSR), a short duration variety, for farmers whose seedlings were damaged in recent flood in East and West Champaran districts. Officials said 4,400.725 quintal of OP variety and 287.82 quintal of hybrid variety in East Champaran, and 2,000 quintals of OP variety and 100 quintal of hybrid variety of paddy seed have been received in West Champaran. “Paddy seedlings were damaged in several blocks of district,” said Vijay Prakash, district agriculture officer (DAO), West Champaran.
Tractor industry
TAFE launches Massey Ferguson 244 DI puddling special tractorsedit
The Times Of India – Online
Tractor major TAFE (Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited) launched the Massey Ferguson 244 DI puddling special tractors in the 44 hp range for paddy cultivation. The Massey Ferguson 244 comes in two variants – The MF 244 DI PM with that excels in dry land or shallow puddling, and the MF 244 PD that works with deep mud puddling. Launched for the Andhra Pradesh markets currently, the MF 244 provides both power and value. The MF 244 tractors is suited for a variety of applications like the reversible mouldboard plough, thresher, baler and for heavy-duty haulage. This product is powered by the 44 hp Simpson Super Torque engine, Maxx oil immersed brakes, Powervator ...