Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Expert says diversification of crops crucial for sustainable food systemsedit
The New Indian Express – Online
Prof S Mahendra Dev, director and vice-chancellor of Indira Gandhi Institute of Development and Research (IGIDR) in Mumbai, on Thursday, said that the procurement, subsidies and water policies of India have been biased towards rice and wheat. “As rice, wheat and sugarcane corner 75 to 80 per cent of the irrigated water, there’s a need for diversification of cropping patterns towards millets, pulses, oilseeds and horticulture. This would ensure equal distribution of water and help achieve sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture,” he said. Delivering the 17th Waheeduddin Khan Memorial lecture on the topic ‘Beyond India @ 75: Growth Inclusion and Sustainability’ at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) at Begumpet on ...
Indo-Israel Cooperation in Odishaedit
Financial Express – Online
Odisha is becoming a new example of how foreign policy can help achieve public policy outcomes at the ground level. To boost agricultural production and farmers’ income in Odisha, the state government plans to establish a Centre for Excellence (CoE) for Mango and vegetables under the Indo-Israel Agriculture Project (IIAP) in Panikoili area of the Jajpur district. The project’s primary objectives are to produce pest and disease-free vegetable and mango grafts, develop good agricultural practices through farmers’ training, and promote value addition, marketing and export by developing a post-harvest handling system. IIAP is already being implemented in over 13 states in India via the Centre of Excellence (CoE). The CoE will serve as a ...
India’s farms have fewer farmers and that may be good newsedit
The Times of India– Online
India’s leaving its villages for cities and towns. For the first time since the 1981 Census, the country has seen a decline in the number of villages — from 6.41 lakh in 2011 to 6.39 lakh in 2021. India is also becoming less dependent on agriculture as a means of livelihood. In 1983, 77% of rural households depended on agriculture to sustain their livelihoods (according to the 38th Round of National Sample Survey report). That number has declined to 50%, says the Periodic Labour Force Survey for 2018-19. India is giving up on farming as a profession too. The agricultural sector’s contribution to employment declined from 81% in 1983 to 58% in 2018. ...
Three farm laws to be repealed: What were the demands of the farmers?edit
Hindustan Times – Online
After almost a year-long protests against them, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced the government will repeal the three agricultural reform laws enacted last year. Modi said a section of farmers remained unconvinced about the benefits of the laws, prompting the government to take such a decision. Here is what the demands of the protesting farmers were: Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, camped at Delhi border points since November 26 last year, demanding repeal of the laws. They sought the guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) to ensure procurement of crops at a suitable price. The farmers were also demanding written assurance for the continuation of MSP and ...
CLAAS Global Mentions
CLAAS adds hydraulics to headersedit
Woodstock Sentinel Review – Online
The newly refined pick-up head, designed for the JAGUAR forage harvester, features a variable, independent drive of the intake auger and pick-up reel that reduces fuel costs and improves pickup capacity. The redesigned header takes an existing pickup reel and adds a new hydraulic drive, giving it greater adaptability in the field. This allows the pickup reel to be adjusted automatically to the ground speed to match the harvest conditions in the field and the auger speed adjusted automatically to the feed roll speed. In challenging harvest conditions, both speeds can be adjusted manually from the cab, allowing even more accurate crop feeding and consistent crop flow overall. In order to operate with the ...
Ohio Ag Equipment to Expand Claas Brand Throughout Ohioedit
Farm Equipment – Online
Ohio Ag Equipment has expanded its brand lineup at 3 of its locations to now include Claas combines. Ohio Ag Equipment has proudly represented the Claas brand in Ohio for many years at the Napoleon, Millersburg, Upper Sandusky and Washington Court House locations. The Claas combine will now also be represented and supported at the New London, Lima and Salem, Ohio locations. With the addition of the Claas brand, these 3 locations will now be able to sell, service and provide parts support. For 25 years, the Claas combine has been an engineered mix of efficiency, precision and convenience all in a reliable and easily-maintained package. “Ohio farmers know they can count on Ohio Ag Equipment for top-of-the-line products and ...
Competition
Japan’s Kubota to be in the driver’s seat at Escortsedit
The Economic Times – Online
Japanese agriculture and heavy equipment firm Kubota Corp will invest ₹9,400 crore in Escorts NSE 10.54 % and increase its stake in the Indian tractor manufacturer up to 53%, taking also its joint control, the companies said on Thursday. Kubota currently holds a 9.9% stake in Escorts. The move to take the driver’s seat in its half-a-decade-old alliance is part of the Osaka-based conglomerate’s strategy to double down on the growth potential of the tractor market in India. Escorts will issue 9,363,726 equity shares at ₹2,000 each to Kubota on a preferential basis, making the Japanese firm a joint promoter of the company along with the existing promoters, the Nanda family. After the ...
Dairy Farming
Agritech startup Cornext selected for Indo-Israel cohort programedit
Free Press Journal – Online
Cornxt, an agritech startup that offers low-cost, innovative quality feeding solutions for Indian Dairy Farmers, is one among the seven startups selected from India for the ‘Indo Israel Cohort Program’ jointly launched by Startup Nation Central, Israel, TiE Hyderabad and TiE Israel. The first cohort of the program will focus on innovations in the agritech sector, and the shortlisted startups will undergo speaker sessions and workshops on sensitization to Indian/ Israeli culture, business culture, perspectives on local market, consumer behavior and exposure to high-growth sectors in both countries. The first cohort of the mentoring programme includes startups with the potential for social and economic impact. The eight-month program will help startups get access to ...
Technology in Agriculture
What to cultivate, when and how? Expert robot to assist in things related to agricultureedit
Kerala Kumudi – Online
A robot to tell you what to cultivate, when to do it and how to do it. The prescription of agriculture is based on the test of the soil just like the determination of human health by a blood test. They will also tell you what fertilizers to apply to the soil, just as humans do with medicine. If you want to apply disinfectant on the farm, it will be done. The robot specializes in cash crops. The robot will also tell you about the market. Weather information will also be provided. The plan is to visit Kannur, Kasaragod and Wayanad districts to provide advice.The robot is being built by Deep Flow Technologies start-up based ...
Govt. Policies
Loan of Punjab farmers has increased to Rs 1.5 lakh crore: AAPedit
The Times of India – Online
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said on Thursday that the Congress government had promised in writing in 2017 to waive the entire loan of about Rs 90,000 crore of the farmers and farm labourers, but now the debt had increased to nearly Rs 1.5 lakh crore. It included loans raised from government, cooperative and private banks, as well as, from the unorganized sector, it added. Leader of opposition (LoP) in Punjab legislative assembly Harpal Singh Cheema said for this promise, forms were also filled by farmers and labourers but as soon as the government was formed, the Congress showed its real “deceit”. If the Congress government had released Rs 300 crore of ...
Paddy in India
Construction Of Mega Food Park Threat To Paddy, Manipur Farmers Strongly Protestedit
Northeast Today – Online
Tension ran high at the 44-Yaithibi Loukol as the Farmers and Land Owners Development Association took to streets while condemning the damages incurred on the several hectares of ripe paddy fields in the area. It has been alleged that the state Industries department has incurred the damages for constructing of Mega Food Park. The association President Kh Romenkumar in an official release alleged that, on Thursday morning, a large number of the Industries department staffs with a Manipur police personnel and commandos arrived at the site and began damaging several hectares of ripe paddy fields by using JCB and bulldozers for constructing a police outpost for the construction of a Mega Food Park. The release ...
Odisha Govt Launches IVRS For Paddy Procurementedit
Pragativadi – Online
In a bid to make paddy procurement more people-friendly and transparent, Odisha Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain launched an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) on Thursday. While launching IVRS from the premises of the office of the Odisha State Civil Supplies corporation here the Minister stated that it has been done in conformity with 5T principles of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Swain said, “Farmers can get all information pertaining to paddy procurement through the system using their registered mobile phone number. Beneficiaries can also lodge complaints regarding fake farmers and illegal hoarding of paddy by fake farmers through the IVRS mechanism round the clock.” “On the call ...
Paddy procurement unsatisfactory in UP, Telangana, says SKMedit
The Times of India – Online
The paddy procurement in Uttar Pradesh was disappointing for farmers, the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has claimed. The process started from October 1 had bought in 4.98 lakh metric tonnes, against an announced target of 70 lakh metric tonnes, and instead of the promised 4,000 procurement centres, only 1,712 were running, it alleged. “Farmers are desperately selling their paddy at significantly lower prices in the open market at around Rs 1,250 per quintal, whereas the minimum support price was Rs 19,40 per quintal. While 6,42,224 farmers have registered themselves for procurement benefits, paddy procurement from only 71,352 farmers had taken place,” it claimed, adding that BJP had said that MSP was there, ...
Stubble Burning
Cash sops, machine subsidies & more — why nothing has helped stop stubble burning in Punjabedit
ThePrint – Online
More than 10 lakh hectares of agricultural land were set aflame in Punjab this harvest season, as farmers rushed to dispose of millions of tonnes of paddy straw before they had to sow their next crop. Unlike wheat straw, paddy stubble cannot be used as fodder because it is high in silica. And as farmers have less than 25 days after the paddy harvest to prepare their fields to sow wheat, they resort to burning this residue. Almost 2 crore metric tonnes of paddy stubble is produced during the harvest in October-November each year. In 2020, the total area under paddy cultivation in Punjab was 31.49 lakh hectares. This season, 67,165 stubble fires had been ...
Tractor industry
Monarch Raised $61 Million for Its Fleet of Electric Tractorsedit
Krishi Jagran – Online
In its ongoing attempts to electrify agricultural equipment and disrupt the world’s largest and dirtiest diesel engines, Monarch Tractor has raised another $61million capital. CNH Industrial, an Italian-American manufacturer second only to Deere & Co. in the agricultural equipment market, and Trimble Inc.’s venture arm, a California-based technology giant specialising in GPS and location-based software, are among the investors in Monarch’s latest fundraising round, which was announced this morning. “It (adds) great credibility in terms of what we’re doing… and where the market is heading,” said Praveen Penmetsa, Chief Executive Officer. “It undoubtedly establishes us as a leader in the agricultural electrification farm space.” According to Penmetsa, the investment will help Monarch increase production ...