The Economic Times- Online

Agriculture and food security featured prominently in the latest COP27 discussions with governments acknowledging the need for accelerated progress. India has been steadfast in driving climate smart agriculture practices through policy with the establishment of the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, farm friendly policy and cost incentives to promote modernization. Building sustainable farming practices and farmer resilience remains a highly sought after and yet difficult to achieve goal for India, despite extensive farmer awareness.

The Times of India- Online

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman should raise the annual tax-exempt limit of Rs 1 lakh for long term capital gains, say majority of participants in a pre-Budget 2023 TOI-Deloitte Survey. Over 93% respondents in the survey said that the limit should be raised. FM Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2023 on February 1, 2023. The Budget session of the Parliament begins on January 31, 2023. The TOI-Deloitte Survey covered several categories of participants; Common person/Individual taxpayer, retail investors, start-ups, corporate and economy.

India TV News-Online

Agriculture has been a fast-growing sector for ages now, but the hurdles in between are inhibiting further growth of this industry. The aim for digital India propels the country to incorporate tech in agriculture – a way to take the sector to new heights. There are however complexities in place that would cripple agriculture to go beyond. Some of them include improper climate conditions, lack of proper resources, geographical issues, etc. Last couple of years were full of uncertainty, pandemic tensions, economic slowdown, border tensions, and global issues.

Outlook India- Online

INDIA’S AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY contributes significantly to the country’s economy, chipping in around 16 per cent to its GDP with 44 per cent of the national workforce from this sector. The government is aggressively encouraging all stakeholders to incorporate digitalisation to increase their yield and efficiency while reducing their dependency on unpredictable factors like climate and socio-economic ones like the ongoing recession.

Frontline

From a simple, local staple to an international delicacy, the lowly millet is finally getting its place in the sun. The United Nations declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets after India proposed it and 72 countries supported it. Soon after the announcement, the Indian government launched a slew of programmes, including making it compulsory for Parliament’s cafeteria to introduce a few millet-based dishes on its menu.

India Today- Online

India’s infrastructure sector is on an exponential growth path. During the previous few years of economic challenges, the infrastructure sector was the mainstay of the economy for recovery and growth.

It was the robustness of the infrastructure sector that helped the Indian economy withstand the peril in the economy brought down by the pandemic. In successive budgets, the infrastructure sector has stayed at the core of policy announcements and fund allocations.

The Times of India– Online

Indian agriculture is on the threshold of a quantum jump towards sustainability and resilience. A series of enabling measures taken in the recent past have infused a lot of vitality in agriculture. The government has been largely successful in pushing farm incomes higher through better minimum support prices (MSP), but there is a long way to go still.

Mint – Online

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) has mobilised more than ₹30,000 crore for projects in the agriculture infrastructure sector with a sanctioned amount of ₹15,000 crore within two-and-a-half years of implementation, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare said in a statement. With 3% interest subvention, credit guarantee support through Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) for loan of up to ₹2 crore and facility of convergence with other central and state government schemes, AIF has been providing all around financial support to farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, farmer groups like farmer producer organizations (FPOs), self help groups (SHGs), joint liability groups (JLGs) etc. and many others to create post-harvest management infrastructure and build community farming asset ...

Times Now – Online

Dr Ramesh Chand, Agricultural Economist and Member Niti Aayog urged All-India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF) to draw up a “one district one spice” action plan for promoting spice cultivation, as a sequel to the “One District One Product” initiative of the central government to fuel economic growth. He was addressing the delegates at the sixth edition of the International Spice Conference (ISC) organized by (AISEF) at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai. Promotions of spices cultivation being a high-value crop with a traditional competitive advantage is easier. Out of the total crop area of 200 million hectares in this country, spices are grown only in ...

Hindustan Times – Online

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has expressed satisfaction over the current, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s agricultural policies which he claims are in the same direction as those framed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government between 2004 and 2014 of which he was part as union agriculture minister with his party a constituent of the UPA government. “During our times, the policies we designed, are now being implemented on a bigger scale. We saw in the exhibition here that 80 to 90% of the decisions we took when we were in power were to take the country in a particular direction. Today, steps are being taken to go in that direction ...

The New Indian Express – Online

Attending the regional-level public hearing meeting at the collectorate on Sunday, several farmers requested ministers to increase the procurement prices for paddy and sugarcane. Minister for Agriculture MRK Pannerselvam, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R Sakkarapani, Minister for Rural Development I Periysamy and District Collector S Visakan attended the meeting, held ahead of the agriculture budget. A total of 31 farmers from the districts of Dindigul, Theni, Tiruchy, Karur and Tirupur were allowed to express their opinion. They said DMK had promised in its election manifesto that the procurement price for sugarcane will be increased to Rs 4,000 per tonne and procurement price for paddy will be increased to Rs 2,500 per ...

The New Indian Express – Online

Union Minister of state for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shobha Karandlaje said the Union government will spend Rs 1 lakh crore to set up laboratories in all the districts of the country and improve agriculture infrastructure. She said the laboratories will help in examining the quality of seeds and food products as people from across the state depend on labs in Mysuru and Bengaluru. Inaugurating a seminar on importance of millets at Sri Shivarathri Shivayogi Jatra festival here on Saturday, Shobha said the government will use agriculture mission funds to set up labs as the Central government has set aside `1.32 lakh crore in the budget besides separate funds to improve basic infrastructure ...

The New Indian Express – Online

There is a figure on the number of people who submit income tax returns, and there is a parallel figure on the number of people who pay income taxes. The latter is smaller than the former, and with a country of India’s size, both figures should be higher. Direct taxes are inherently superior to indirect taxes, and the share of direct taxes to total taxes should be higher. There are several reasons why such numbers aren’t higher, evasion being one. But there are two other reasons—exemptions and non-taxation of agricultural income. The former is part of the Union Budget, and the latter isn’t. The latter is part of State Budgets or should be. ...

Krishi Jagran – Online

Agriculture, including agri-infrastructure and ancillary activities, accounts for 39.54 percent of total credit potential under the priority sector for the fiscal year 2023-24, while MSME accounts for 44.26 percent, according to NABARD Chief General Manager Usha Ramesh. For the current fiscal year, the bank estimated Rs 2.47 lakh crore of credit potential under priority sector lending in the state. Noting that the West Bengal government’s ‘Duare Sarkar’ (government at your doorsteps) scheme is one of the best programmes for improving financial outreach, she said the state authorities have taken a number of initiatives in recent years to foster multi-dimensional growth in the state’s economy.

The Print – Online

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone and dedicated various developmental projects related to irrigation, drinking water and a national highway development project at Kodekal, Yadgiri in Karnataka. The projects include laying the foundation stone of the Yadgir multi-village drinking water supply scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission and 65.5 km section (from Badadal to Maradagi S Andola) of Surat-Chennai Expressway NH-150C, and inauguration of the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal – Extension Renovation and Modernisation Project (NLBC-ERM).

The Economic Times – Online

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is likely to start open market sale of wheat this month to curb abnormally high prices of the cereal. “The FCI will likely undertake open market sale of 2-3 million tonnes (MT) of wheat to bulk buyers such as flour millers by the end of January,” said a senior official, who did not wish to be identified.

The Print – Online

One of India’s major commercial crops, sugarcane generates a sizable amount of foreign cash while also employing a large number of people. India has become the largest producer and exporter of sugar. India’s agricultural success is not only limited to sugarcane. India is leading worldwide in several other high-quality agricultural goods including pulses, spices and jute. Thanks to the mastery of farming techniques added by higher agricultural credit, the farming sector in India has witnessed remarkable growth following the green revolution in the 1960s.

The Economic Times – Online

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday stressed the need to increase productivity, production and processing of millets and said an adequate quantity of millets should be consumed for meeting nutritional requirements. The minister was addressing industry chamber CII’s National Conference on Millets: Ensuring Climate Adaptation, Nutrition and Food Security. The United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millet (IYM) on the proposal of the Indian government. “Millets is an Indian grain and it is full of nutritional value,” Tomar said. Ads by

The Statesman – Online

Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday requested Union Agriculture Minister NS Tomar to revoke the constitution of the committee on minimum support price (MSP). Demanding the Union Government to “reconstitute” the panel “with a fresh mandate to reflect the commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi while scrapping the three farm laws in 2021,” the Member of Parliament (MP) from Bathinda said: “The SAD rejects the MSP Committee in its current form and the same is not acceptable to the farming community also.” “We need a fair committee in keeping with the spirit of the assurance given to Kisan Andolan (farmers’ agitation) representatives by the Prime Minister on ...

The Indian Express – Online

Following a series of protests by the farmers’ unions for the past few months, the Punjab government has finally decided to initiate a dialogue with the peasants through ‘Sarkar-Kisan Milini’ to build confidence among them. The first dialogue between the farmers and the government will be held on Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) campus on February 12 where Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will spend time with the farmers listening to their woes. The government already held a meeting to discuss the issue on January 6. The second meeting to finalise the details would be held on January 20. “Farmers are giving us a tough time. They engage in protests and create problems. The government has ...

Business Standard – Online

The wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation rate for December decelerated to a 22-month low at 4.95 per cent, on the back of a higher base and the easing of price pressure for food and manufactured products. In November 2022, wholesale price inflation stood at 5.85 per cent. In December 2021, it was at 14.27 per cent. The data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Monday showed food inflation — excludes manufactured food items — at minus 1.25 per cent contracted in December, from 1.07 per cent in November, as vegetable prices (minus 36 per cent) fell from their year-ago levels. However, the inflation rate for cereals, paddy, wheat, and pulses went up ...

The Indian Express – Online

Various stake holders in agriculture sector, including farm union leaders and agri experts Monday warned the Punjab government about fall outs of introducing Genetically Modified (GM) Mustard in the state and said there would be widespread agitation if this step was undertaken. The comments were made in heated discussions, which took place at a special seminar called by the Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on the issue to educate the MLAs of the Vidhan Sabha on the GM Mustard issue and its fallouts. Even as the agriculture experts and farm union leaders gave out dire warnings about the introduction of GM Mustard in Punjab and demanded that the experiment being done with GM ...

Moneycontrol – Online

Area sown to wheat has increased 1.40 per cent to 337.18 lakh hectare so far in the ongoing rabi season of the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), according to the agriculture ministry data released on Friday. Sowing of wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, had begun in October, and harvesting will start from March/April. Farmers had sown wheat on 332.52 lakh hectare (ha) area in the year-ago period. Higher acreage has been reported from Uttar Pradesh (2.92 lakh ha), Rajasthan (2.52 lakh ha), Maharashtra (1.01 lakh ha), Bihar (0.81 lakh ha), Chhattisgarh (0.65 lakh ha), Gujarat (0.54 lakh ha), West Bengal (0.09 lakh ha), Jammu & Kashmir (0.07 lakh ha) and Assam (0.03 lakh ha), it showed.

The Print – Online

The reports and commentary on soil subsidence in the pilgrimage town of Joshimath in the Garhwal Himalayas, the consequent damage to houses, and the evacuation of endangered people have rightly mentioned the neglect of past warnings. Also mentioned in dispatches are the environmental risks involved in undertaking ambitious rail, road, hydel and other projects in a section of the Himalayas already prone to landslides and associated disasters because of large-scale deforestation. Joshimath and the media coverage it has provoked come accompanied by a larger concern about the environment: The poor quality of the winter air in cities and towns across the northern plains; the mountains of garbage that have piled up over the years in ...

The Financial Express – Online

While food inflation fell to 4.19% in December, the lowest since January 2022, thanks to a sharp fall in prices of vegetables, edible oils, meat products and pulses, the prices of several commodities such as spices, cereals and dairy products continued to be at elevated levels amid supply contraints. While stating that sharp corrections in vegetable prices eased up food inflation, Crisil said prices of most other food groups rose year-on-year. Cereals, which contributed majorly to inflation zooming past 7% for most of the first half of this fiscal, saw prices going up by 13.8% in December.

The Economic Times – Online

India and the United States have established a new working group to build sustainable supply chains and boost bilateral trade, the governments said in a joint statement on Thursday. The working group will initially focus on trade facilitation, digitization of customs procedures, issues related to sustainable finance and the scaling up of innovative clean technologies, according to the statement issued after a Trade Policy Forum meeting in Washington D.C. At a meeting co-chaired by India’s trade minister, Piyush Goyal, and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, the countries also agreed to continue close monitoring of visa issues and increase dialogue on food and agricultural trade issues in 2023.

Business Standard – Online

The Rajasthan government scheme to provide farmers agricultural equipment on a cheaper rental is becoming popular and 748 custom-hiring centres have been set up in the state. “Modern farm equipment has an important role in farming and horticulture. Mechanisation increases both production and productivity but it is not possible for small and marginal farmers to purchase improved and costly agricultural equipment. The state government, to benefit such farmers, has set up custom-hiring centres through Kray Vikray Sahakari Samitis (KVSS), Gram Seva Sahakari Samitis (GSSS), and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs),” a senior agriculture department official said.

Telangana Today – Online

Farm labourers from Uttar Pradesh are praising the farmer-friendly schemes being implemented in Telangana. The labourers, who migrated here to work in paddy plantations in a big way across the State, were impressed by the welfare schemes and facilities being provided to the agriculture sector by the State government. Pointing out that apart from free 24 hour power supply, schemes like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima and adequate water for agriculture fields through irrigation projects were helping farmers here a lot, they said there were no such schemes being implemented in Uttar Pradesh.

Business Standard – Online

In a bid to keep track of the measures taken by states to increase farmers’ income, the government has decided to rank them based on their performance on farm sector policies, according to a report in The Economic Times. This, the government believes, will help it understand better the agriculture transformation happening across diverse regions. The report said NITI Aayog is working to develop the Agriculture Transformation Index, which will measure the performance of states on seven points – inputs, sustainability, productivity and diversification, policy, preservation, processing and exports, and farmers’ income and welfare. “The index is aimed at capturing the new policy paradigm in agriculture, at the core of which are sustainable diversification of ...

Mint – Online

The wheat production in the country is set to jump to a record this year as all-time high prices prompted farmers to expand planting areas, and opting of high-yielding varieties, news agency Reuters said. Scientists and traders have projected ‘good weather conditions’, another factor for the largescale wheat production. India, which is world’s second largest wheat producer, may consider lifting a ban on exports of the staple becaus eof the higher output. The move will help ease concerns over persistently high inflation in food prices. “This year production could rise to 112 million tonnes because of the higher area and favourable weather,” Gyanendra Singh, director at the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research told the ...

Telangana Today – Online

Farmers of a tiny village Rayapuram set an example by earning profits upon switching over to cultivation of leafy vegetables from tradition paddy and cotton crops. Out of total 130 farmers in Rayapuram village of Kethepally mandal in the district, 110 farmers have taken up cultivation of leafy vegetables in over 60 acres and earning daily income throughout the year. Their income through cultivation of leafy vegetables was more than the concept of ‘One acre – Rs 1 lakh income’. Leafy vegetable cultivators have been making a business of Rs 2 crore per year as per estimations by the Horticulture department.

The Economic Times – Online

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has initiated a series of measures in augmenting Millet production in Assam. Millets Day was organized by NABARD at Kalashetra, Punjabari, Guwahati and was attended by Dr C V Ratnavathi, Director, Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), Hyderabad, Vincent M D, CGM, SBI, Guwahati, Rajesh Bora, Zonal Manager, Central Bank of India, B C Bora, Member, Assam Agriculture Commission. Around 250 farmers across the state attended the event.

The New Indian Express – Online

Foodgrains production in Kharif 2022 in the State is 83,62,000 tonnes as per the first advance estimates by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, which is higher than the previous two Kharif seasons (2020 and 2021). As per the final estimates in Kharif 2020, foodgrains production was 74,15,000 tonnes, which increased to 76,44,000 tonnes in 2021. As per the first advance estimates for 2022-23 (Kharif only), total foodgrains production in the country is estimated at 149.92 million tonnes, which is 6.98 million tonnes higher than the average foodgrains production of previous five years (2016-17 to 2020-21). Total production of Kharif rice (paddy) in 2022-23 is estimated at 104.99 million tonnes. It is 4.40 ...

Business Standard – Online

The gross value added (GVA) in agriculture and allied activities is expected to grow by 3.5 per cent in constant price terms in financial year 2022-23 (FY23), which is close to its long-term growth trend. According to the first advance estimate of national income for FY23 released on Friday, the growth in GVA in FY22 was estimated at 3 per cent at constant prices. In current price terms, the FY23 GVA growth was projected at a sharp 12.50 per cent, among the best in recent times. This translates to an inflationary impact of 9 per cent, which too is among the highest in recent times. In comparison, during the corresponding period of last year growth ...

The Economic Times – Online

World food prices eased in December marking the ninth consecutive monthly fall, but gained more than 14% in 2022 compared to the previous year, to reach the highest since records began, the U.N. food agency said on Friday. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index, which tracks international prices of the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 132.4 points last month compared with a revised 135.00 points for November. The November figure was previously given as 135.7 points.

The Indian Express – Online

Aided by good performance of the agriculture and services sectors, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow 7 per cent in financial year 2022-23, supported by higher growth in agriculture and services sectors, according to the first advance estimates of national income released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) Friday. This is slower than the 8.7 per cent GDP growth in 2021-22, but slightly higher than the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) forecast of 6.8 per cent for the current financial year. Gross Value Added or GVA — which is GDP minus net product taxes — is seen growing at sub-7 per cent – 6.7 per cent in FY23 as against 8.1 ...

The Financial Express – Online

The farm sector has in recent years been a bright spot in the economic landscape, even amid controversies surrounding reforms in the sector and slower-than-projected growth in the income of farmers. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech on February 1 will likely include a set of measures to boost investments in agriculture infrastructure, including those aimed at encouraging private investments. Food and fertiliser subsidies, which have relevance for the sector, is set to cross Rs 5 trillion in FY23 due to the volatility in international prices of hydrocarbons and other fertiliser inputs and the free food grains supply scheme. The total expenditure on these subsidies is expected to moderate in FY24 to less than ...

The Print – Online

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said that agriculture is the country’s fastest growing sector and there will be no constraint of central funding for its development. Referring to the northeast, he said the Centre and the northeast states governments are working together to develop the agriculture sector given its potential for organic farming. “Agriculture is the fastest growing sector in the country and the Center is making continuous efforts to make farming profitable. There will be no constraint of central funding for development of agriculture sector,” the union minister said inaugurating the newly constructed administrative and academic buildings of Pasighat Agriculture College in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on ...

The Indian Express – Online

The fourth edition of the Millets & Organics – International Trade Fair 2023 is all set to kick off from January 20. The two-day fair scheduled to take place at Tripuravasini Palace Ground is organised by the department of agriculture in collaboration with Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing and Export Corporation Limited (KAPPEC) and International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA). During a press conference Thursday, B C Patil, minister of agriculture, unveiled the website for the fourth edition of the international trade fair. The fair will feature an exhibition with over 300 stalls of more than 110 companies and an international pavilion with organisations from various countries.

The Hans India – Online

Telangana has turned into an agrarian state with the vision of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who laid a special emphasis on the irrigation, power, and agriculture sector, which resulted in tremendous progress in the production of food grains. Along with agriculture, the allied sectors such as cattle, poultry, and livestock production has also gone up in the state and has become an important sector for the food processing industry. According to the officials, because of the infrastructure provided by the government for attracting investments in the food processing sector, investments have increased in the state.

The Times of India – Online

Out of the 6,000 plant species cultivated for food globally, 66 per cent come from just 9 species, according to a 2019 report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). These include sugar cane, maize, rice, wheat, potatoes, soybeans, oil-palm fruit, sugar beet and cassava. Titled State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, the report highlights how the mass production of some crops, driven by global demands, is depleting the biodiversity of our agricultural landscapes. As major producers of wheat, sugarcane and paddy, Indian farmlands contribute to this trend, compromising biodiversity that could otherwise thrive in our tropical climate.

The Economic Times – Online

Rice and palm oil are becoming more expensive in India. In the last one month, the price of rice has increased by up to 15 per cent, while that of palm oil is seen rising by Rs 5-7 a litre in the coming weeks. The basmati variety of rice is selling at a record high of Rs 110 per kg as compared with Rs 95 per kg a month ago. Traders attribute this to rice millers building stocks in anticipation of better prices in the world market as floods in Pakistan have damaged the country’s rice crop. “This is happening despite hardly any orders from Iran, one of the biggest markets for Indian basmati ...

Entrepreneur India – Online

The government is said to be looking at giving a boost to agriculture through agritech schemes that would assist in improving yield, efficiency and profitability of agriculture. Budget 2022-23 has seen numerous agritech schemes being launched. Here, let’s ask the agritech founders themselves whether the government’s agritech schemes of 2022 were fruitful or not. “The government policies around the agriculture sector have been beneficial in bringing a positive change in the overall agriculture value chain and have helped in boosting farmer incomes. The modern and effective use of technology and the work being done by agritech startups is helping in solving farmers problems. The government’s focus on doubling the farmers’ income is helping in overall ...

Business Standard – Online

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday underlined that during its G20 presidency, India intends to take up the issue of affordability and accessibility to energy, foodgrains and fertilisers “very strongly” as the economies of the Global South have been impacted. India formally assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1. The next G20 Leaders’ Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10 next year in New Delhi. Addressing a business event here, Jaishankar, who is on his first official visit to Cyprus as India and Cyprus celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations, noted that the efficiency and the delivery of global supply chains is a ...

The Economic Times – Online

Wheat and paddy crops withered, and retail prices surged this year as vagaries of the weather clouded the country’s agriculture sector growth, triggering various policy measures, including export curbs, to efficiently manage foodgrain supplies in the recovering economy. If farm laws were the reason for the sector to hog headlines in 2021, this year, a raft of factors dotted the agriculture-food firmament. While rain deficit and heatwaves in winter hit production of a few major crops, Russia-Ukraine conflict pushed higher the prices of many commodities and fertilisers.