Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Why Farm Income Growth Is Decreasing In Punjabedit
Krishi Jagran – Online
Punjab in terms of ‘farm incomes’ is expanding at a far slower rate than some typically poorer states, according to new statistics, which suggests that the state’s agriculture has struck an unbreakable economic law: diminishing returns. Punjab sparked India’s Green Revolution five decades ago, saving millions of people from starvation. However, the benefits are rapidly fading. According to experts, the income slowdown is due to an over-dependence on large cereals like wheat and rice. The Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households 2018-19 (SAS), a nationwide study of farm incomes released recently, shows that farm income growth is slowing in Punjab.
Where have the large Indian farmers gone?edit
Money Control – Online
Less than 200,000 households across rural India owned more than 10 hectares of land in 2018-19, a recent report of the National Sample Survey (NSS) has estimated. These households constitute just about 0.1 percent of all rural households and 0.2 percent of all agricultural households. There were an estimated 172.4 million households in rural India, including about 93.1 million agricultural households. The number of households owning at least 10 hectares has fallen 70 percent about 700,000 (0.5 percent of all rural households) estimated in 2002-03. In comparison, the number of rural households had increased by 16.6 percent over the same period.
How pulses can regain their lost glory in Indiaedit
Down to Earth – Online
When India went into its first lockdown in 2020, the government announced Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), under which over 800 million people were to be provided rice, wheat, and pulses, in addition to the ration provided under the public distribution system (PDS). More than 1.2 million tonnes of pulses were distributed under PMGKAY between April and November 2020. While rice and wheat are already a part of India’s food security programme, this was the first time the government distributed pulses at such a large scale.
Technology in Agriculture
Promise of Digital Engineering: How it will revolutionizeedit
Financial Express – Online
In the mid-1990’s, an aircraft manufacturer in Northern Ireland had a problem. Their aircrafts were outliving the engineers that built them! Servicing support calls from those flying their planes in developing countries became an issue. They contacted the Northern Ireland Knowledge Engineering Laboratory to help them build an AI based system for them that could institutionalize the knowledge held in the brains of their engineers. The system developed was based on Case-based reasoning and required years of knowledge engineering.
Govt. Policies
Government Launches Scheme to Employ 10,000 Youth in Agricultural Sectoredit
Krishi Jagran – Online
The J&K Tribal Affairs Department has launched an ambitious initiative to provide gainful employment to 10,000 tribal youth, in addition to a variety of skill development courses and employment options. The Sheep Husbandry department formally launched Phase-I of the small Sheep Farm scheme with a draw of lots among applicants from several districts. In phase I of the Sheep Farming Scheme, 1500 youth were chosen. The Tribal Affairs department’s mini Sheep Farm scheme aimed to build 1500 mini Sheep Farms this year, with a 30% increase each year after that. The scheme calls for the establishment of more than 10,000 such sheep farming units over the following four years.
Stubble Burning
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal unveils plan to combat winter pollutionedit
Hindustan Times – Online
The national capital has drawn up an action plan to tackle the severe air pollution in the winter months, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday, announcing alternatives to stubble burning, measures to control road dust and vehicular emissions, and urging governments of neighbouring National Capital Region (NCR) states to adopt similar steps. As part of its 10-point plan, the Delhi government will help spraying a bio-decomposer — developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR — also known as Pusa Institute) — which converts paddy stubble into manure without burning, in rural areas in the Capital.
Air pollution: NASA images show polluted skies set to engulf north India soonedit
ET Energy World – Online
The clear blue skies over the national capital may go dark soon with dust and smoke as the stubble burning season nears. The satellite images by US space agency NASA have shown that crop residue burning has already started in several fields in Haryana and Punjab, according to media reports. Punjab annually generates 20 million tonnes of paddy straw, which is normally set on fire to quickly clear the fields for the next crop, resulting in choking of the National Capital Region (NCR) in October and November, and causing major health effects.
Tractor industry
Mahindra & Mahindra hopeful of strong tractor sales in month of Octoberedit
Times Now News – Online
Tractor Major M&M continues to gain market share in month of September inching up at 42.2% from 41.8% recorded in Q1FY22. The Company sold a total of 40331 tractors in September which was above street estimates. Even exports doing very well with 25% jump in September on YoY basis with markets in Turkey, US and Japan helping this growth. ET Now speaks to Hemant Sikka, President-Farm & Equipment at M&M, to know more on company’s outlook on festive sales expectation for tractor segment, plans for more price hikes and to know his outlook for industry growth. Sikka says that the company is hopeful of strong sales in month of October