Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
What will be the future of agriculture reforms?edit
Moneycontrol – Online
The sudden announcement on November 19 of the Government of India’s decision to repeal the three farm laws, promulgated through ordinances in June 2020, came as a surprise as there was a complete stalemate since the last round of talks in January. The announcement is yet to be formally approved by the Cabinet. The laws could have been repealed through an ordinance, but the government has decided to place them before Parliament. One hopes that the debate in the two houses will express regret over the baseless allegations made against the protesting farmers. A more important question that has surfaced is the future of reforms in this sector. Is it the end of the road, at ...
Competition
Road gets damaged in 3 yrs, MLA blames unauthorized godown of tractor companyedit
The Times of India – Online
Constructed three years ago, the road connecting Wanadongri and Waddhamna has been damaged to a great extent. West Nagpur MLA Vikas Thakre has blamed a tractor manufacturing and transport company for the destruction and inconvenience to the people. A major stretch of the road is in very bad condition. Large number of potholes have cropped up on the road. At some places, the lower base of the road below tar has been damaged to a great extent. Due to potholes and damage to lower base, a lot of dust swirls with each movement of vehicles. Dust can be seen spread on agriculture crops, on residential buildings and open plots along the road. Information ...
Dairy Farming
Dairy farmers hit by mechanised harvestingedit
Herald Goa – Online
Mechanised harvesting may have lessened the burden of farmers in a big way but at the same time it has caused a major setback to many dairy farmers across the State, as they are facing difficulties in getting good quality leftover grass/paddy straw after paddy harvesting. Wilson Fernandes, a dairy farmer from Gorroti, Nuvem complained that the paddy straws get damaged if left in the fields for a day or two after mechanised harvesting. And hence, they find it very difficult to search for standard paddy straws. It is pertinent to note that mechanised farming has been cost effective to farmers especially with regard to labour, which several farmers had sidelined while cultivating their paddy ...
Dams and Indian Agriculture
Mundargi farmers worry about water release from damsedit
The New Indian Express– Online
Farmers of Mundargi are worried that Shivamogga and the surrounding areas will receive more rainfall. If water is released from Bhadravathi dam to Hammigi barrage near Mundargi, the gates of the barrage will have to be opened, and a large quantity of water will gush out into the farmlands. Hammigi barrage opened seven gates as 43.366 cusecs of water flowed out on Sunday morning. Farmers are struggling to save their crops due to rain. If the river swells again, they will lose all their crops. Bidaralli, Vithalapur, Singatalur, Gummagola, Shiranahalli, Irannanagudda, Gangapur, Kakkur, Korlahalli and other villages are at the river basins. The river is swelling and water has been gushing into hundreds of ...
Technology in Agriculture
Precision agriculture platform Fasal raises $4 million from 3one4 Capital, othersedit
The Economic Times – Online
Precision agriculture platform Fasal has raised $4 million in a pre-Series A round led by 3one4 Capital with participation from existing investors Omnivore and Wavemaker Partners, the company said in a release. The company will use the funds to expand their business across India and Southeast Asia, strengthen their full-stack services, and ramp up hiring for sales and marketing, agronomy, and technology teams. Other investors in this round include Genting Ventures (Malaysia), The Yield Lab Asia-Pacific, Antares Investments, and Sandeep Singhal of Nexus. Founded in 2018 by Shailendra Tiwari and Ananda Verma, Fasal is a full-stack AI-powered IoT SaaS platform for horticulture. Using on-farm sensors and scientific algorithms, Fasal delivers farm and crop-specific ...
Paddy in India
Despite the rise in prices, the arrival of paddy may lag behind last yearedit
Amar Ujala – Online
The arrival of paddy is going on in various mandis of Panipat district. According to the arrival of paddy, this time the procurement of paddy may be less than last year. However, the price of paddy has remained elevated as compared to last year. The main reason for the decrease in the arrival of paddy is believed to be the ban on arrival of paddy from other states. At the same time, agricultural experts and farmers say that this time the average yield has declined due to prolonged monsoon and the effect of weather. According to the data, till now about 2.60 lakh metric tonnes of paddy of all categories have been procured in various ...
Stubble Burning
Year ending but no end to stubble burning Punjab burns 43% of total area under paddy till Nov 15edit
The Indian Express – Online
Punjab has burnt over 43% of the total rice area in the state till November 15 this year, which is 16% less than the area compared to last year in the corresponding period. Even as the state saw a delay in paddy harvest this year, six districts have already burnt between 53% and 60% of the total area under rice cultivation. Incidents of farm fires have also been constant in the state. While Punjab recorded 71,024 fire incidents till November 21 this year, the data stood at 76,592 fires in 2020. In 2019, 2018 and 2017, the number of farm fires was 55,210, 50,590 and 45,384, respectively. According to data procured from Punjab Pollution ...