Moneycontrol – Online

Foodgrain output is expected to touch a record during the 2021-22 season, according to the fourth advance estimates of production of major agricultural crops released by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on August 17. According to the release, the production of foodgrain is estimated to be higher by 4.98 million tonnes than the previous year. The ministry estimates that the current foodgrain production will be 315.72 million tonnes. The record production of foodgrain is higher by 25 million tonnes than average production in the previous five years (2016-17 to 2020-21). Notably, record production has been seen in crops such as rice, maize, gram, pulses, rapeseed and mustard, oilseeds and sugarcane. Agriculture and Farmers ...

CIOL – Online

Agriculture technology has become a prominent new avenue lately, bringing massive improvement in various stages of the agriculture value chain. The use of technology has become even more pronounced owing to the rapid digitalisation of agriculture and increasing digital penetration in rural India, the mainstay of agrarian sector. In light of this, we have seen a surge of agritech startups that have become gateway to innovation showcasing a huge risk appetite to disrupt the traditional agriculture industry in a bid to bring in efficiency, cut down on institutional laggards, and raise the productivity level of farmers. All these factors play a very critical role at large to drive sustainable agriculture practices as well as improve economic ...

Business Insider India – Online

The number of agriculture workers is reducing in India; and is expected to drop further to 25.7% by 2050. And, it was at 58% in 2001. On the other hand, the number of agritech startups are on the rise. There were about 450 agritech startups in India before the pandemic, growing at the rate of 25% year-on-year, according to a NASSCOM report. Farming, like many other sectors, is all set to be disrupted by technology. “Advanced technology and precision farming have the potential to take Indian agro-economy to newer heights. The agriculture sector in India is expected to generate better momentum in the next few years due to increased investment in agricultural infrastructure such ...

CNBC TV18 – Online

From an acute food shortage to becoming a net exporter of several commodities, agriculture in India has transformed in many ways in the past 75 years. Despite being an agrarian economy where over 75 percent of the population earned its livelihood from agriculture, the country at the time of independence and after was plagued with low productivity, food shortage, the Bengal famine and a heavy import dependence. Then in 1960s, the Green Revolution changed the course for agriculture in India. In the last 50 years the per capita production of food in the country has more than doubled. The share of agriculture and allied sectors in the total gross value added of India was ...

Republic World – Online

In the last 75 years since India gained Independence, the country has come a long from being nowhere to be one of the biggest economies in the world. In 1947, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was Rs 2.7 lakh crore which has increased to $3.17 trillion, making it the sixth-largest economy. By 2031, India is expected to become the third largest economy. The long-term growth perspective of India’s economy remains positive because of its young population and low dependency ratio, healthy savings and global investments. Historically, India has tracked its economy and GDP in three sectors- agriculture, industry and services. Agriculture accounted for 20.2 percent of GDP in 2021, according to the government. Crop-yield-per-unit-area of ...

The Economic Times – Online

Being in a consumer economy can be quite challenging in today’s world, as rising output without consideration for the environment is paving the way for a perilous future. “Sustainability is everyone’s responsibility,” says Ravi Agrawal , chairman — Gencrest, which is part of the Samta group of companies. Gencrest is a fully integrated , research and innovation-driven biotech company. With its headquarters and R&D centre located in Mumbai, the company has a manufacturing unit in Bhusawal, Maharashtra. The company’s main focus is to create agro-value chain by upcycling agricultural waste and creating economic value for the farming community. The company is on a mission to create sustainable solutions for everyday life. From sustainable fibres ...

Hindustan Times – Online

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR) on Saturday held a consultation meet on the emerging challenges in plant protection of major kharif crops. ICAR deputy director general (agriculture extension) AK Singh, who is also the commissioner agriculture, Government of India, said crop diversification must be promoted in a big way. “Instead of focusing on wheat and rice, cultivation of 3Ms – maize, moong and mustard – should be promoted as it can help the country in attaining self-sufficiency and at the same time help in enhancing the income of the farmers,” he said. Several agriculture scientists from 33 Krishi Vidyalaya Kendras, as well as scientists from ICAR, participated in the meet.

The Hans India – Online

Let us face it. Whether we agree or not, the biggest challenge the country continues to be confronted with is removing poverty and hunger. After all, saddled with a large population of world’s hungry, India’s ‘tryst with destiny’ – recalling the words of Jawaharlal Nehru – still continues to haunt the relatively young nation. As India celebrates 75 years of Independence, and looks ahead to the next 25 years to usher in an era of prosperity and fulfilment, ‘poverty’ and ‘hunger’ are the two words that I find conspicuously missing from the public discourse. While reams of newsprint have been rolled out on the significant achievements made in the first 75 years, and point ...

The Economic Times – Online

A softening in food prices is expected to bring down India’s headline inflation but sticky core inflation remains a worry, a report by HSBC said. Food prices, which were one of the major contributors of higher inflation, are expected to cool due to return of global supplies, higher reservoir levels and alternative for deficient crops. HSBC expects headline inflation to moderate to 5.5% in FY24 from 6.9% in FY23. “We expect headline inflation to fall from 6.9% in FY23 to 5.5% in FY24, and lower food inflation is likely to be the key driver of the disinflation process,” the report stated. On the sowing of the paddy slowing down due to sub-par rains in ...

The New Indian Express – Online

The outbreak of the lumpy skin disease in cattle has resulted in a fall in milk production in Punjab by 15-20%. Around 500 cattle have died due to the disease in the state in a month and about 27,000, mostly cows, have been infected. Jalandhar, Moga, Muktsar, Barnala, Bathinda and Faridkot districts have reported the most number of cases. The state produces 6.7 per cent of the country’s milk production and has a per capita availability of 1,181 grams of milk per day, the highest in the country. The cost of production has now shot up, resulting in dairy farmers facing a double blow. A senior official of the government-owned Milkfed said the ...

The New Indian Express – Online

Wholesale prices of wheat in the domestic mandis have managed to fall from their lifetime highs and have stabilized as the central government timely brought in a slew of policy interventions on the exports of the foodgrain. In Indore in Madhya Pradesh, which is considered one of the key mandis, wheat prices touched as high as Rs 2,400-2,500 per 100 kg, against Rs 2,000-2,1000 until the conflict in Ukraine broke out. Prices of wheat usually remain on the lower side during this time of the year as freshly harvested rabi crops make their way into the physical markets — mandis. Multiple rounds of heat waves in several wheat-growing regions in India ahead of ...

The Hans India – Online

To give a big boost to efforts to enhance livelihoods of farmer producers, Walmart Foundation and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (Icrisat), launched a Secondary Processing Unit (SPU) at Muddalapuram village in the district on Wednesday. The facility was inaugurated in virtual mode by the Minister for Agriculture & Cooperation, Marketing, Food Processing Kakani Govardhan Reddy. Addressing a virtual meet from Nellore, Agriculture minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy stated the state government has introduced several initiatives like community-managed sustainable farming to make agriculture more viable and profitable. He said this unit will support farmers from the district with new livelihood and market access opportunities through value-added groundnut, millet and other nutritious products. He ...

The Indian Express – Online

Tripura may face a shortage of 59,570 MT foodgrain as per preliminary estimates as this year the aaush and jhum cultivations couldn’t be done on 25,000 hectare cultivable land due to dearth of rainfall, said agriculture minister Pranajit Singha Roy. Speaking to the media, Roy said the government had set a target of cultivating 30,000 hectare land in the aaush cropping season this year in addition to a target of shifting cultivation on 15,500 hectare land. “However, due to 52% shortage of rainfall in March and 64% less rainfall in April this year, aaush crops could be grown in only 11,161 hectare land and jhum cultivation could be done on only 9,000 hectare land,” ...

Mint – Online

While the outlook for global crops is improving from the tumultuous weeks after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the threats of drought, flooding and blistering heat are keeping supplies tight and prices elevated. Crop futures have retreated to pre-war levels, and the UN’s monthly measure of food prices sank the most since 2008. That’s offering some relief to consumers who have faced rampant food inflation since the start of the pandemic. Still, the war is putting more pressure on farmers from the US to India to replace crop losses and shipments from Ukraine — a key supplier to poorer nations in the Middle East and Africa. How much they can provide is in question. Major producers like ...

The Financial Express – Online

After consistently setting new records for six years in a row, India’s kharif crop output is likely to witness a significant fall in the current year, owing to a big drop in paddy sowing area and marginal decline in area under pulses. As of Monday, sowing of summer crops was 3% below the year-ago level, with the fall in paddy area being close to 13%. Area under paddy in West Bengal, the largest rice-producing state, was down 41% on year. Paddy sowing has been hit mainly because of severe deficiency in monsoon rainfall against the benchmark in key states — Uttar Pradesh (-40%), Bihar (-35%) and West Bengal (-25%). Lower paddy sowing has raised ...

Times of India – Online

The district agriculture department officials said that about 90% sowing of kharif crops had been completed in Pune, comprising 13 tehsils. This year, sowing was badly affected due to less rainfall in June. Till the first week of July, the sowing was close to 20%. The process picked up momentum following sustained rainfall in the subsequent three weeks of July, the officials said. However, the officials hinted that the district might not achieve 100% sowing due to rainfall in August. They said that the paddy cultivation may be less than the average 59,627 hectares of land. “The continuous rainfall in the last three weeks of July had affected nurseries badly in paddy growing tehsils. ...

The Financial Express – Online

With severe deficiency of monsoon rainfall in the eastern regions hitting paddy sowing activities, the country’s rice production for 2022-23 crop year (July-June) may turn out to be at least 10 million tonne (MT) less than last year’s record level of 129 MT, according to trade sources. Paddy sowing has been adversely impacted in parts of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. West Bengal, the biggest rice producer amongst states, has received deficient rainfall in 15 of its 23 districts, raising the likelihood of crop loss, an official said. In East Bardhaman district, considered as rice bowl of West Bengal, the rainfall deficiency has been 34% of benchmark so far while other key ...

The Print – Online

Rising wholesale and consumer prices of wheat may push India to allow imports of the staple food item in a few months’ time. If India turns importer, it will be a drastic reversal — from desiring to ‘feed the world’ in the summer to battling a shortfall by winter. Compared to last year (2021-22) when India exported about 7.2 million tonnes of wheat, exports are estimated to be 6 million tonnes by the end of the ongoing financial year (2022-23). India announced an export ban in May this year to ensure domestic availability of the cereal and tame food inflation. But data from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution shows that wheat ...

Mint – Online

Exports of agricultural and processed food products rose by 31% in the first three months of the current fiscal on a year-on-year basis. The overall export of agri products have increased to $7.408 billion in April-June 2022 from $5.663 billion over the same period of the last fiscal, according to the commerce department data. It also exceeded the export target for April-June 2022-23 at $5.890 billion. “The initiatives taken by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) that works under the ministry of commerce and industry have helped the country in achieving 31% of the total export target in the first quarter of the current fiscal,” the department of commerce said in a ...

Mint – Online

Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday that the government has constituted a committee to look into ways to strengthen the minimum support price (MSP) system for farmers. The minister said, “a committee has been formed regarding diversification, natural farming and MSP,” adding that this would includes farmer representatives, state government representatives and central government officials, according to news agency PTI report. The committee formed by the government will look into ways to strengthen the MSP system and how farmers can take benefit out of the support price mechanism, the minister further highlighted, and that the government will consider the recommendations of the committee. The minister, while responding to ...

Down to Earth – Online

The sowing dates of wheat have maximum influence on its yield, superseding all other crop management, soil and varietal factors, new research has found. Adjusting sowing dates in eastern parts of the country will increase production by 69 per cent, said a study by Cornell University, the United States. Advancing the rice crop calendar by up to two weeks is technically feasible and will help wheat productivity, it found. The greater production will help ensure food security and farm profitability as the planet warms. The research said: Better managing the annual cropping calendar will pay dividends for food security, profitability and climate resilience. The report, Time Management Governs Climate Resilience and Productivity in the ...

Times Now – Online

A bowl of rice is the recipe for political and economic stability in Asia. A lot rests on robust production of the crop that is a staple for majority of the communities on this continent. But the rice security this year is threatened by dwindling plantation in the world’s major exporter – India. If the kharif season ends in lower rice yields, then the world could be staring at a double crisis of food grains, with Ukraine’s uncertain wheat shipments and a possible rice export cap by India. There has been a 13 per cent decline in paddy sowing so far in the monsoon season in India. Even though the rains have been sufficient, reports ...

Krishi Jagran – Online

The Agri Infra Fund (AIF) has approved the first-ever drone loan for a ‘Kisan drone’ made by Chennai-based Garuda Aerospace. The loan was sanctioned in the presence of Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmer Welfare Kailash Choudhary & Shobha Karandlaje. For Garuda Aerospace, this is a validation of the company’s innovation efforts as its Kisan Drone was selected for the loan program and a service provider using the drone has been given a 9.37 lakh loan under the AIF for the purchase and use of the drone. According to Garuda Aerospace founder Agnishwar Jayaprakash, “We have already pre-booked over 2,500 drones and are on track to manufacture ...

The Times of India – Online

Kharif sowing in Nashik district has been completed on around 90% land — 5.81 lakh hectare out of the total projected area of 6.41 lakh hectare. Paddy plantation was affected due to delayed monsoon, but it has now gained momentum. Paddy has now been planted on around 70% of the total estimated area of 88,000 hectare. Maize, cotton, bajra, moong, soyabean, jowar and bajra are the other major kharif crops of the region. Maize contributes to 35% acreage, while bajra and paddy share 17.37% and 14.61% of the total sowing area, respectively. The agriculture department had projected sowing of maize on 2.16 lakh hectare. But sowing has been carried out on 2.31 lakh ...

The New Indian Express – Online

The government has reiterated that there is no shortage of wheat stock in the central pool. In a written reply to Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, “As on 01.07.2022, the actual stock of wheat is 285.10 Lakh Metric Tons (LMT) against the Buffer norm of 275.80 LMT.” In reply to another question on whether it is true that wheat procurement has fallen since there was a spurt in private procurement who bought wheat directly from farmers, the minister agreed to it. “The procurement of wheat has fallen due to higher purchase of wheat by traders as the market price of wheat had shot up due to prevailing ...

The Print – Online

The government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme with an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore for the food processing sector would boost the industry’s growth in the coming years, a senior industry official said on Tuesday. Air-conditioning and commercial refrigeration major Blue Star Ltd Managing Director and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Chairman of Foodpro 2022 B Thiagarajan said the food processing industry has been growing at an annual growth rate of 11.18 per cent. The Union ministry of food processing industries has earmarked Rs 10,900 crore under the PLI scheme for the sector. Referring to the biennial event on food processing packaging and food technology event scheduled to begin from August 5 in Chennai, he ...

Krishi Jagran – Online

Farmers from the Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu requested the agriculture engineering department to buy and rent drones for nano urea spraying at reasonable rates. The solid urea, which is allegedly in severe shortage throughout the coastal delta regions, has been replaced by nano urea (liquid) fertilizer, which is being promoted by the agricultural department, ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, IFFCO, and other institutions. They recommend using it either with a human workforce or with drones. The farmers find the use of drones impressive, but they are turned off by the expensive rental fees. A farmer from Kilvelur named S Ramadoss commented, “Given their high cost, renting drones is challenging. We ask the agriculture engineering department to buy ...

Hindustan Times – Online

Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala has said that the state government will set a record in paddy procurement in the coming kharif harvesting season. He said the government has taken several steps to ensure hassle-free procurement as payments to farmers and arhtiyas within 72 hours. He said that the government has decided to procure 13 crops on the minimum support price (MSP). Earlier addressing a gathering at Dhand village, he said that proper arrangements for sewerage, drainage and drinking water are being made under the Mahagram Yojana in 108 villages of the state having a population of more than 10,000 so that people living in rural areas do not face any problem. The Indian ...