Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Climate crisis threatens India’s food security, warn scientistsedit
Hindustan Times – Online
Climate scientists have warned that scorching heatwaves in India, among other extreme weather events, are “most certainly” being driven by global warming, posing a risk to the country’s food security. Heatwaves in the country, which shaved off 3 million tonne of wheat output this year compared to the year before, are being driven by changing weather patterns induced by global warming, scientists at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, have concluded. “The only reason behind these heatwaves is global warming,” said Roxy Mathew Koll, climate scientist at the IITM. Koll pored through data from seven decades to conclude that the severity and frequency of heatwaves were directly correlated to a warming globe.
Why some farmers in Maharashtra’s drought-prone Sangli are taking a chance on dragon fruitedit
The Print – Online
Several farmers in western Maharashtra’s Sangli district have switched from the cultivation of traditional crops like sugarcane, grapes, soybean and other vegetables to the more exotic dragon fruit. Sangli is among the drought-prone regions in Maharashtra but despite this, a large area in the district is under sugarcane cultivation, which is a water-guzzling plant but gives higher yields. This year, the area under sugarcane plantations in the state has increased by 2.55 lakh hectares — from 12.32 lakh hectares last year to 14.87 lakh hectares — according to official data.
‘Indian companies can play a major role in accelerating agri transformation in SADC countries’edit
The Print – Online
Indian companies can play a major role in accelerating agricultural transformation in SADC countries by contributing to strengthen value chains, especially in farm mechanisation, irrigation, food processing, nutrients and agricultural research, delegates at the CII-Exim Bank Regional Conclave here were told on Tuesday. Rajiv Wahi, International Business Head (Agri & Construction Equipment), Escorts Kubota Limited, made these remarks at the conclave on India-Southern Africa Growth Partnership as he moderated a panel sharing the experiences on both sides. Government officials and industry captains from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), comprising 16 members, discussed potential cooperation in a number of areas, including agriculture. Wahi said India and South Africa worked very well together in the agricultural ...
Dairy Farming
From India to the US, extreme heat is stressing cows and imperiling global dairy supplyedit
The Economic Times – Online
Heat and drought are inflicting perilous strain on dairy cows across the globe, drying up their milk production and threatening the long-term global supply of everything from butter to baby formula. Volumes of dairy are forecast to sink by nearly half a million metric tons this year in major exporter Australia as farmers exit the industry after years of pressure from heat waves. In India, small-scale farmers are contemplating investing in cooling equipment they’d have to stretch to afford. And producers in France had to pause making one type of high-quality cheese when parched fields left grass-fed cows with nowhere to graze. Some of the world’s biggest milk-making regions are becoming less hospitable to ...
Monsoon + Indian Agriculture
Crops heavily damaged due to unseasonal rains: Union minister Tomaredit
Business Standard – Online
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said crops suffered heavy damage due to unseasonal rains, which is a fallout of climate change. He said state governments are assessing losses incurred by farmers due to heavy rains in their respective regions. Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Pune, Tomar said the income of farmers should be increased and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully committed to this goal. “No one has control over natural calamities. Climate change is being witnessed due to which unseasonal rains occur in one place while other region sees drought. Because of these factors, farmers are affected. This time, crops suffered heavy damage due to rains,” the Union ...
Paddy in India
Govt’s paddy procurement increases by 12% at 17.05 mn tonnes till Octedit
Business Standard – Online
The government’s paddy procurement for the central pool rose 12 per cent to 170.53 lakh tonnes till October of the ongoing 2022-23 kharif marketing season, according to the food ministry data. Higher quantities of paddy were purchased from Punjab, Haryana and Tamil Nadu. Normally, paddy procurement begins immediately after the withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon from October onwards. However in southern states, especially in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it begins from September. The government aims to procure 771.25 lakh tonnes of paddy in the 2022-23 kharif marketing season (October-September). The actual procurement stood at record 759.32 lakh tonnes in the previous kharif marketing season.
Stubble Burning
Wake up from slumber: BJP slams Punjab govt over stubble burningedit
The Print – Online
The BJP targeted the AAP government on Tuesday over the rising incidents of stubble burning in Punjab, asking it to wake up from its “deep slumber” over the issue of farm fires. The opposition party slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, pointing out that he used to target the earlier Punjab governments for failing to control farm fires and blame the state for pollution in New Delhi. “Why is the Delhi CM staying mum now?” Punjab BJP general secretary Subhash Sharma asked. He said the state witnessed 2,131 incidents of farm fire — the highest in the season so far — and a maximum of 330 cases were witnessed in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home ...