Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
PM Modi to address national summit on zero-budget natural farming in Gujaratedit
Hindustan Times – Online
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a national summit to popularize zero-budget natural farming (ZNBF) on December 16 in Gujarat’s Anand, as policymakers prepare for a big push for the technique agricultural scientists say is unproven. The National Summit on Agro and Food Processing, in which Modi is set to make a valedictory address via videoconferencing, is being organized by the Gujarat government. Nearly 5,000 farmers are expected to take part, besides 80 institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Krishi Vigyan Kendras, or state-run farm-extension centres. “In the summit, basic knowledge on how to adopt zero-budget natural farming will be showcased,” agriculture secretary Sanjay Agarwal said in a media briefing on Monday. ...
Agricultural reform is a political hot potato better left to statesedit
Firstpost – Online
When the Constitution was being written, it placed agriculture on the State and Concurrent List, making it both a state subject and a Central one. Albeit with the preponderance of the states’ authority to legislate on agriculture. The clue on how to proceed after the three farm laws were withdrawn recently by the Centre lies in this fact. It may be best to leave it to the states in the broad interests of India’s quasi-federalism. However, since 50 percent of the population still live in rural areas, anything to do with agricultural reform is a political hot potato. States and the Centre as well tend to throw some relief money via yojanas at it rather than ...
MSP panel to be formed soon, says Agriculture secretaryedit
The Indian Express – Online
A committee to decide on matters such as promotion of zero budgeting farming and making the minimum support price (MSP) more “effective and transparent”, will be constituted soon, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agrawal said on Monday. Responding to a question about when the committee on zero budget farming and MSP would be set up, Agrawal said, “Very near future.” He added that the Prime Minister has already announced that zero-budget natural farming has to be taken up on a mission mode. Agrawal was briefing the media about a December 14 event on natural farming in Anand, Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the valedictory function virtually on December 16. However, Agrawal ...
Monsoon + Indian Agriculture
Crop on 5.78 lakh hectare damaged by cyclone Jawad: Odisha governmentedit
The New Indian Express – Online
The Odisha government on Monday informed the inter-ministerial team visiting the State that a report on the damage caused by cyclone Jawad will be submitted to the Centre after completion of field assessment. After a two-day field visit to assess the extent of damage inflicted by the cyclone, the six-member inter-ministerial team led by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Saurav Ray had a meeting with senior officers of the State government chaired by Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra. The Chief Secretary apprised the Central team that as per eye estimate, standing crops on more than 5.78 lakh hectare in around 131 blocks of 12 districts were severely damaged. Ground-level assessment is on and ...
Paddy in India
Telangana procures 42.22 lakh tonnes of paddyedit
Telangana Today – Online
Reviewing the ongoing paddy procurement at his chambers on Monday, Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar said paddy purchases have been completed in 1,280 of the total 6,775 paddy procurement centres in the State. About Rs 5,447 crore have been deposited into the accounts of 3.75 lakh farmers through Online Procurement Management System (OPMS) till date. While there is no shortage of gunny bags and transportation, there is a severe shortage of storage space in godowns belonging to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). “We are facing a tough situation due to lack of storage space in FCI godowns especially in the districts of Suryapet, Siddipet, Sangareddy, Medak, Mahbubnagar and Nirmal where they are filled ...