Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Pulse tales: What is Indian food without them?edit
DTE – Online
It is no exaggeration to claim that Indian food cannot be imagined without pulses. Dal roti and dal bhaat is synonymous with everyday food. Lentils are an excellent source of protein for vegetarians and perhaps that is why it is an essential inclusion in the Indian diet. In agriculture as well, cereals, oilseeds and pulses have a distinct importance. Sprouted pulses are considered more nutritious and are used in usal and misal, traditional dishes of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The list of dishes that use gram flour made from gram lentils—kadhi, gattas, dhokla, laddu, barfi—is exhaustive. The ingredients made from lentils have been an integral part of our diet.
Decoding the growth in India’s agro-realty sectoredit
The Times Of India – Online
Land investment has been a popular choice across generations. Come bonds or cryptocurrencies, land as an investment has never lost its shine. Its extraordinary appreciation and tax benefits make land investment a lucrative option for wealth creators. However, the investment landscape is an ever-evolving space. With progress in economic activities, various new-age investment options are replacing traditional ways. Agro-realty is one among those.
What’s at stake at COP26?edit
The Indian Express – Online
A UN climate summit in Glasgow will pressure world leaders to stop burning fossil fuels, stabilise global temperatures and share money to adapt to increasingly extreme weather. World leaders will meet in the UK in November for the COP26 climate summit in a last-ditch effort to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius this century. The yearly summit, convened by the United Nations and delayed last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, is a place for diplomats to negotiate treaties to slow dangerous changes to the climate. In 2015, they signed up to the Paris Agreement — a non-binding target to keep warming well below 2 C above pre-industrial temperatures, and ideally 1.5 C ...
Competition
Backstory: When Nanda brothers parted ways leading to decline of Escorts groupedit
CNBC TV18 – Online
Post-partition, one of the storied business families in the country were the Delhi-based Nandas. When liberalisation came in 1991, it was one of the Indian groups that was widely tipped to take advantage of the new opportunities. But strategic mistakes and a bitter sibling rivalry proved to be its nemesis. Today, Escorts isn’t quite the force it was through the 1970s and 80s. Its founders, the brothers Har Prasad and Yudi Nanda, had migrated from Lahore where they ran an agency business. In India, Har Prasad guided his company Escorts into the manufacturing of tractors, motorcycles and components and over the next few decades built a reputation for quality. Under him, the Rajdoot motorcycle became ...
John Deere farmers and suppliers anxious about the impact of the strikeedit
Bolly Inside – Online
Farmers and Deere and Co. suppliers are stressed over what the strike at the tractor maker’s factories will mean for their livelihoods. More than 10,000 Deere workers went on strike last week at 14 Deere factories in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado and Georgia after the United Auto Workers association dismissed an agreement offer. The more drawn out the strike proceeds, the more prominent the effect will be on the communities around the plants. Lance Lillibridge, who farms in eastern Iowa close to Cedar Rapids, said he stresses over not having parts should his John Deere combine break down.
Govt. Policies
Kisan Credit Card is critical for agriculture. But can the scheme overcome the challenges?edit
The Economic Times – Online
“In India, unlike the United States and Australia, agriculture is not just a food-producing enterprise, but also the backbone of the livelihood security of nearly 60% of the population,” said MS Swaminathan, popularly known as the father of Green Revolution in India for his role in introducing and developing high-yielding varieties of wheat. This stands true even today. The country is entering its eighth decade of independence, yet agriculture remains one of the focal points of the economy. The sector has always been one of the key talking points for rural growth and economic development in both the pre- and post-Covid-19 eras. However, the stress in the agricultural sector was evident even before the ...
Centre infused Rs 131,000 cr to boost agriculture, allied sectors: Ministeredit
Business Standard – Online
The Centre has infused Rs 1,31,000 crore to boost agriculture and allied sectors with special emphasis on becoming an export-oriented economy as India has tremendous potential to satiate global demand, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje said on Monday. The minister was in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district as part of the Centre’s public outreach programme. Karandlaje e-inaugurated various projects of the public works department, costing Rs 519.50, lakh and laid e-foundation stones of different projects worth Rs 198.2 lakh.
Monsoon + Indian Agriculture
Paddy on 2,000 acres damaged by rain in Nagercoiledit
The New Indian Express – Online
The torrential rains in the district have left the farmers in troubled waters as paddy crops, ready for harvest in several areas including Thazhakudi, Thovalai, Chenbagaramanputhur and Villukuri have been damaged. Kodayar Irrigation System Chairman A Vins Anto said paddy crops in around 2,000 acres had been damaged and most of them were ready for harvest. “In Villuri near Mabalathuraiyaru alone, paddy crops across 500 acres was damaged.” A functionary of a farmers association, Chenbagasekarapillai, said more than 50 acres of paddy in Derisanamcope got submerged. N Rakkisha Muthu from Chenbagaramanputhur said paddy crops in 300 acres have been submerged. “Though the rainwater has started receding now, we won’t be able to harvest ...
Rain damages paddy crop, farmers’ body seeks compensationedit
The Times Of India – Online
The unseasonal, heavy showers over the last two days has caused widespread damage to paddy crop across the district, especially at Atta Gujran, Jaganpur and villages surrounding Dankaur, as well as adjoining western Uttar Pradesh districts. On Monday, Krishna Nagar, the district president of the Kisan Ekta Sangh (KES), said farmers were already bearing the brunt of the recent increase in food and fuel prices and the untimely rainfall had only added to their misery. He sought an immediate survey of the damages and relief from the state government. “We visited the Atta Gujran, Jaganpur and villages surrounding Dankaur area to see the paddy crop of the farmers and found that they have ...
Kerala rains: Farmers count lossesedit
The New Indian Express – Online
Hundreds of plantains and vegetables such as spinach ready for harvesting in Kalliyoor panchayat have been submerged as Vellayani lake breached its banks in the heavy rain following the low-pressure area formed over the Arabian Sea. The fields, especially in Pandarakkari and adjacent farms, have been flooded and the farmers are still counting the losses. “For planting vegetables and banana saplings in about six acres of land, we had taken a loan of Rs 10 lakh which we haven’t been able to repay yet. As water entered from the lake in the recent rain, the whole farm was submerged. For farming, we had even bought a vehicle on loan. We haven’t been able ...
Paddy in India
MSP value of Rs 11,099.25 crore paid for paddy, says Govtedit
Business Standard – Online
The government on Monday said that over 56.62 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been procured in the Kharif Marketing Season 2021-22 up to October 17. The KMS 2021-22, at the minimum support price (MSP), commenced recently and has benefitted 3,71,919 farmers with MSP value of Rs 11,099.25 crore, an official statement said. The procurement took place in states and UTs of Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
Stubble Burning
पीलीभीत में पराली जलाने वाले 11 किसानों के शस्त्र लाइसेंस निलंबित, जानिये आगे और क्या होगी कार्रवाईedit
Jagran – Online
धान की कटाई के बाद खेतों में पराली जलाने की घटनाओं पर जिलाधिकारी पुलकित खरे ने सख्त रुख अपनाया है। जिन किसानों ने खेतों में पराली जलाई, उनकी पहचान कराने के बाद उनके नाम पर जारी शस्त्र लाइसेंसों को निलंबित कर दिया गया है। साथ ही ऐसे किसानों के पासपोर्ट निरस्त करने की कार्रवाई भी शुरू कर दी गई है। जिन गांवों में पराली जलाने की घटनाएं हुई, उनके ग्राम प्रधानों को नोटिस जारी किए गए हैं।
Entrepreneur’s Device Helps Farmers Turn Stubble To Income, Bags £1.2 Million Prizeedit
The Better India – Online
Stubble burning has been a major cause of air pollution in India. It causes toxic haze in the atmosphere which is so thick that it can be seen from outer space. The smoke is hazardous and causes several health problems. In 2018, Delhi resident Vidyut Mohan (29), founder of social enterprise Takachar, began working on a solution to prevent the stubble from being burnt. At the same time, he also wanted to create income opportunities for the farmers. In an interview, Vidyut said, “During the burning season, air pollution in Delhi is 14 times the safe limit. I want to change that. I have always been passionate about working in the field of energy ...
Farm fires go unnoticed in other Statesedit
The Hans India – Online
The farm fires in Punjab and Haryana hog all the limelight as they have a direct bearing on the air quality not just in Delhi-NCR but almost in entire north-west India. But are there no farm fires in other states? There are. But because the numbers are substantially less, for several reasons, there is just so less noise about these incidents of stubble burning in other states, especially south Indian states which witness negligible or almost nil instances.
Mirchi And nurture.farm Join Hands For Awareness Campaign Against Stubble Burning #JalaoNahiJagaoedit
E Times – Online
To eliminate this harmful stubble burning, nurture.farm, an AgTech company has launched a Crop Residue Management (CRM) program through which it has signed over 5,00,000 acres, operated by over 25,000 farmers across Punjab and Haryana, aiming to #EndTheBurn. Joining nurture.farm to create awareness amongst Delhites, Mirchi came up with a campaign thought #JalaoNahiJagao. with an intent to give the much-needed voice to this initiative and bridge the urban-rural disconnect on the issue of stubble burning. #JalaoNahiJagao aimed at spreading the message that now is the time to wake up and stand up against a problem that affects the urban population as much as the rural farmers. The initiative is currently spread across 17 districts of ...
Stubble burning: Centre must push states to adopt the Pusa bio-decomposer modeledit
Hindustan Times – Online
Every year, Delhi’s air quality begins to deteriorate as the winter season begins. This is primarily due to stubble burning in the north Indian states. Farmers burn leftover paddy stubble to clear their fields quickly before planting wheat for the next season. As a result, the smoke from farm fires moves towards Delhi, leading to high pollution levels not just in the Capital but the entire National Capital Region.
Tractor industry
Electric Tractor: HAU Develops Cheap E-tractor for Farmersedit
Krishi Jagran – Online
Amidst the daily increase in diesel prices, agricultural scientists have started looking for cheaper alternatives for the farmers. Tractor, which is the most used machinery in farming, will see a big change in the coming days. Average farm par availability in India is 2.0 kWh per hectare, while in developed countries it is around 15 kWh per hectare. Due to the huge gap, there is a lot of scope for mechanization, and hence, the development of battery-operated tractors will help in increasing the level of mechanization.