Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
G20 leaders commit to boost global food security, eliminate hungeredit
Mint – Online
Leaders of the world’s major economies, under the banner of the G20, have pledged to combat global hunger and malnutrition, as outlined in the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration. The commitment aligns with the 2023 G20 Deccan High-Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition. The declaration highlighted the urgency to augment research cooperation on climate-resilient and nutritious crops, such as millets, quinoa, and sorghum, and emphasizes the significance of other traditional staples like rice, wheat, and maize. This comes on the heels of the successful 12th G20 Meeting of Agriculture Chief Scientists (MACS).
Schneider Electric invests in Biofuel Junction to combat agri-waste burningedit
ET EnergyWorld – Online
Energy management and automation major, Schneider Electric announced today that it has made an equity investment Biofuel Junction through Schneider Electric Energy Access (SEEAA), an Asia-focused clean energy fund, co-funded by Norfund, EDFi MC and Amudi. Biofuel Junction is a Mumbai-based clean-energy venture that manufacturers and aggregates solid biofuels in the form of briquettes and pellets made from agricultural residues, to be used as replacements for fossil fuels in various industries.
Stubble Burning
Over 4k nodal officers to help Punjab check stubble burningedit
Hindustan Times – Online
In a bid to check stubble-burning incidents, the Punjab government plans to depute as many as 4,233 nodal officers and 998 cluster coordinators in 11,624 villages across the state to tackle fire incidents in real-time. During the harvest in October-November, Punjab farmers usually have a shorter window to clear their fields for the winter crop. Invariably, many choose to burn the paddy stubble left behind after harvest, sending up plumes of smoke that drifts over to large population centres, sink and choke settlements in toxic smog. In 2022, the state recorded 30% fewer farm fire incidents than last year.