Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Clean, sustainable farming in the spotlightedit
The New Indian Express– Online
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot visited Krishi Mela on its fourth and final day to award farmers and researchers for their contribution to the field. He handed out seven awards. “The need for good farming practices to develop in Indian agriculture means the need for incorporating nanotechnology in agriculture, and to develop farmer-friendly applications and promote new start-ups,” he said. The awards presented were the HD Deve Gowda State Level Best Farmer award (MC Rangaswamy), Dr MH Marigowda State-level Best Horticulture Farmer award (TM Aravinda), Canara Bank Award for Best State Level Farmers (Male – Navikram and Female – Y G Manjula), R Dwarkinath Best Extension Worker Award (Dr AP Mallikarjuna Gowda), R Dwarkinath ...
Technology in Agriculture
Bumper Harvests: Blockchain can benefit the agricultural ecosystemedit
Financial Express – Online
Several tech innovations including AI and ML, are being increasingly launched by enterprises to help farmers enhance farm productivity, take well-informed decisions, and connect them to the larger ecosystem to discover synergies. However, there continues to be significant information asymmetry and lack of meaningful data about developments in the ecosystem, which can facilitate the exchange of information and help key stakeholders introduce strategic data-led policies and interventions. Discrepancies across the value chains can be managed, to an extent, by leveraging technologies such as blockchain. Typically, blockchain is viewed as a technology that facilitates the decentralisation of information, allowing easy access to all the members throughout the value chain. Today, agri players are increasingly looking ...
Paddy in India
‘4 lakh MT paddy procured from 54k farmers so far’edit
The Times of India – Online
The state government on Sunday said it has so far procured around 4 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of paddy at MSP from over 54,000 farmers in the ongoing Kharif marketing season. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in order to ensure smooth purchase of the crop, all key officers, including ADMs, SDMs and tehsildars, had been asked to conduct on-site inspection of purchase centres every day. He said the nodal officers posted at district level would ensure procurement through a transparent process. He warned that negligence would not be accepted at any cost. Food commissioner, Saurabh Babu, said, “The procurement agencies have so far procured 3.66 lakh MT of paddy worth Rs 711.9 crore ...
Stubble Burning
Fewer stubble fires in Punjab compared to same period last year, but 7 districts have already crossed 2020’s figuresedit
The Indian Express – Online
Punjab, which has recorded 65,404 stubble burning cases till Sunday, has reported fewer fires as compared to the same corresponding period last year, when the number was 73,541. However, seven districts of the state have already recorded more fires this year as compared to last year. Still, 2,500 to 3,500 fires are being reported on a daily basis these days while last year, during this time, the number of daily fires had reduced to below 500. In Punjab, the stubble burning will continue at least for a week to 10 days days till the time wheat sowing is not over in the state. On Sunday 2,541 fires were reported in the state. Among ...
Subsidy worth crores, monetary fines and seeder technology too; but no end to stubble burning in Punjabedit
Gaon Connection – Online
Wait for 3 pm, the entire sky will turn dark grey as farmers start burning their crop stubble. These days every evening, visibility becomes low, one’s eyes sting constantly and it becomes difficult to breathe,” Raghvir Singh, a farmer based in Sangrur district of Punjab, told Gaon Connection. He was standing in an open field where paddy had just been harvested and its dry residue waited to be set on fire to prepare the land for the next crop of wheat. Over 230 kilometers north-west from Delhi, one would expect the fields to be a little more greener and the skies to be clearer and bluer than the heavily polluted air of the national capital, which ...
Stubble burning: BJP govt harassing farmers, says Hoodaedit
Hindustan Times – Online
Former chief minister and leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday alleged that the government was harassing farmers for burning stubble. Interacting with reporters in Charkhi Dadri after unveiling the statue of former MP late Chandravati, , Hooda said the attitude of the government towards the stubble burning problem has always been negative. “The government should try to solve the problem by making a concrete plan and giving proper resources and financial help to the farmers,” the former CM said. Hooda said he has called a meeting of the Congress legislature party (CLP) on November 16 to discuss the farmers’ and other issues. “The way fertilisers are being distributed in police stations shows ...
24% drop in stubble burning, but Haryana is an exception, shows dataedit
Business Satndard – Online
Delhi and its adjoining states are once again reeling from a thick blanket of smog and deadly fumes, forcing the government to shut schools and take emergency measures to control the pollution. The Supreme Court had recently said it has become a fashion to blame the farmers from neighbouring states and their practice of stubble burning for all the pollution in Delhi. The recent data from the Indian Agriculture Research Institute shows that stubble burning incidents this year are considerably lower in most states, except in Haryana, where it has grown by 48.5 per cent between September 15 and November 13. In Punjab, the cumulative number is 21 per cent less than 2020. But, ...
‘We are helpless’: Punjab farmers continue to burn stubbleedit
Hindustan Times – Online
Amid the rising levels of pollution in Delhi, stubble burning continues in various parts of Amritsar, with farmers alleging that the government has done nothing in regards to providing machinery and compensation for controlling the burning of stubble. Gopi, a farmer said while talking to ANI, “We are helpless. The government has not provided us with compensation of ₹7,000 and machinery needed to control stubble burning. If we would not burn the stubble, our next crop will be late. Our crops are not being brought at MSP rates. Even the Supreme Court has said that farmers only cannot be blamed for pollution as industries and vehicles cause pollution in Delhi.” Another farmer named Kanwar added, ...