Sanjeeb Mukherjee

IPL tender receives urea import offers totalling 5.6 million tonnes

Punjab farmers to block rail tracks tomorrow to demand norm relaxations; Haryana eases quality norms

IMD's below-normal monsoon forecast raises farm concerns, but past trends show steady foodgrain output supported by irrigation, resilient seeds, and better rainfall distribution

The call is for urgent conservation and replenishment measures, both for now and the future

India's fertiliser subsidy has exceeded FY26 Revised Estimates, prompting experts to call for policy reforms, including rational pricing, curbs on overuse, and bringing urea under the NBS regime

NAAS has proposed steps to reduce India's rising dependence on imported fruits and spices and boost exports through improved crop varieties, stronger traceability and better market linkages

The forecast, which has a model error of plus or minus 5 per cent, is mainly due to the development of El Niño conditions during the June to September months, the Met department said

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan harps on value addition and integrated farming models

India's fertiliser subsidy breached FY26 estimates before the West Asia crisis, with rising imports and consumption set to push the bill higher

In India, speciality fertiliser or non-subsidised fertiliser sales have been growing at the rate of 10-12 per cent per annum

Government raises non-urea fertiliser subsidy by up to 21 per cent for kharif 2026 to shield farmers from rising global prices and supply disruptions linked to West Asia tensions

Private forecaster Skymet pegs 2026 monsoon at 94 per cent of LPA, with El Niño impact likely to drag rainfall below normal and key kharif months turning weak

Centre rules out banning sugar exports; says no proposal to lower edible oil import duties

Indian Potash Limited has also started scouting for imports of 2.5 million tonnes of urea from global markets

The arthiyas are demanding a fixed 2.5 per cent commission on their purchases, as was the practice till 2020, when it was changed to up to 2.5 per cent

Senior industry official said the government also seems amenable to this, as producing more ethanol has become a national priority given the impact of the West Asia war on petroleum prices

The duty exemption will start from April 2 and continue till June 30, 2026, an official order said

Says prices of most essential food items fairly stable despite the war

Centre will organise regional agriculture conferences in April-May to improve policy execution, strengthen Centre-State coordination, and address implementation bottlenecks

In FY25, around 57.8 million households got work under the scheme