Agriculture

With rice prices rising due to a deficient and uneven monsoon, the Centre on Friday directed traders, retailers, wholesalers, processors and millers across the country to declare their rice and paddy stocks and allowed five southern states to impose stock limits to prevent hoarding. Under an order dated November 6, all traders and wholesalers, retailers, large retail chains and processors and millers in all states and Union Territories must declare stocks under six categories -- Basmati rice, non-Basmati premium rice, non-Basmati rice, parboiled rice, broken rice and paddy. Every unit holding stocks will have to update details on the Food Stock Portal (foodstock.dfpd.gov.in) every Friday, the food ministry said in a statement. Units that are not registered on the portal or that violate stock limits will face action under Sections 6 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. In a separate letter, also dated November 6, the Centre has given its consent to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka

Reviving neglected pulses could boost nutrition, reduce imports and improve farmers' incomes

The sharp decline in offtake has raised questions about the extent of earlier fertiliser diversion, including the possible cross-border smuggling of subsidised urea

Farm fires are seasonal, but year-round emissions from power plants and persistently high PM2.5 levels underline the need for a broader clean-air strategy

The open-access catalogue will use AI to help breeders identify promising plant combinations faster, while the partnership will also support genome mapping for other crops

Ministers urged states to step up monitoring, repair idle machines and offer farmers affordable alternatives as stubble burning incidents rose sharply in MP and Rajasthan

DAP stocks are 17% higher year-on-year ahead of the rabi sowing season, but higher import and raw material costs could push India's fertiliser subsidy bill sharply higher

Three decades after economic liberalisation, India's farm sector still faces deep structural constraints, from weak markets and investment to subsidy dependence and resistance to reform

Minister Chouhan says teams to visit Maharashtra & Karnataka soon to assess the drought impact

He said, "I come from a region where we have seen 10,000 farmer suicides, and working on this (issue) for 15-20 years, the core of this problem is that our agriculture is not economically viable"

Global average sulphur rates jump 262 per cent in August 2026, versus August 2025

The Declaration backed BRICS AGRIN, a global forum on farmers' rights in seed systems, a network of centres of excellence on regenerative agriculture and cooperation on digital agriculture

BRICS nations propose new networks for agro-inputs, digital farming and genetic resources to strengthen agricultural cooperation and promote climate-resilient farming

Government calls for crop diversification, better water management and stronger markets to boost farming in dryland areas

J&K-based Khyber Group plans to increase its trout farming business nearly fourfold to Rs 38 crore by FY27, and invest Rs 60 crore in the coming years, according to a top official. The nearly Rs 650-crore Khyber Group, which operates in various sectors such as cement and hospitality, has invested Rs 112 crore so far in Khyber Aquaculture. The group is also increasing its production of Himalayan trout, considering the hospitality sector its primary growth driver. The Ganderbal-based firm, which operates an eight-acre facility on the banks of the Sindhu River in Akhal, Kangan, plans to expand production capacity from the current 1,200 MT to 5,000-7,000 MT over the next five years, Khyber Aquaculture Director Yunus Trumboo said. "We are looking to position Himalayan trout as a home-grown alternative to imported salmon for India's luxury hotels, restaurants and premium retail consumers, and plan to engage chefs through retreats and workshops to drive acceptance of the fish across the

The decision to import 1 MT of raw sugar after allowing exports earlier in the season has revived questions over crop estimates, policy predictability and the cost of repeated trade interventions

Maharashtra has a substantial agricultural load from around 48 lakh agriculture consumers, accounting for almost 30 percent of the total electricity consumption

Partnership will study the use of mining byproduct containing silica, iron oxides and other nutrients in crops such as paddy, wheat and vegetables

Agriculture and allied activities' GVA growth slowed from 4.4 per cent a year ago, while experts expect full-year FY27 growth at around 3.5-4 per cent

The Department has also worked to integrate iFMS with farmer, land and crop databases