Page 3 - Agriculture

Why monsoon-dependent India still struggles to scale micro irrigation

IMD's weak monsoon forecast revives a key question why India's push for drip and sprinkler irrigation has not translated into widespread adoption despite years of policy support

Centre refutes fertiliser shortage claims; urea stocks steady at mid-April

India has urea stocks of around 6.73 million tonnes, against last year's 6.80 million tonnes

India raises wheat procurement target 15% to support rain-hit farmers

States seek higher procurement as unseasonal rains damage crops

Seed, pesticide laws likely to be tabled in next Parl session: Chouhan

Chouhan said the proposed Seed Act and Pesticide Act have been circulated for feedback and aim to curb the sale of spurious and substandard inputs

How India is emerging as testing ground for agri-based carbon markets

Amazon's $30 million rice carbon credit deal highlights India's role in scaling agriculture-based carbon markets while raising questions on trust, verification, and farmer benefits

India's wheat output likely to fall by 5-10% as rain, hail damage crops

Although lower output could curb purchases, which have missed wheat ‌buying targets for past 4 years, this is unlikely to cause shortages as India holds stocks at roughly 3 times the required level

Has India's farm output finally become less dependent on the monsoon?

As India faces a below-normal monsoon forecast for 2026, improved irrigation, resilient seeds and policy support have strengthened farm output, though regional risks and inflation concerns persist

Centre approves raising MP wheat procurement quota to 10 million tonnes

Government wheat procurement has declined 11.37% to 14.8 million tonnes in the ongoing rabi season, impacted by delayed crop arrivals across mandis compared to last year

India to buy urea at near double pre-war prices amid supply disruption

Urea from the West Asia, a major supplier to the South Asian nation, was quoted at $490 a ton before the war began, according to Green Markets data

MP raises rural land acquisition payout to four times market rate

The move is expected to directly benefit thousands of farming families whose land is acquired for public infrastructure and industrial projects

MP farmers to get four times compensation for rural land acquisition

Madhya Pradesh will offer up to four times compensation for rural land acquisition, aiming to ensure fair value for farmers and support infrastructure and development projects

Centre floats draft amendments to marquee Sugarcane Control Order, 1966

Draft proposes minimum distance criteria between mills at 25 km, mandates khandsari units to pay Centre-fixed Fair and Remunerative Price to cane growers

India's fertiliser production sees weakest growth in 13 years in FY26

India's fertiliser output contracts in FY26, hit by LNG shortages and shutdowns, marking the sector's weakest performance in over a decade

Centre allows extra 25 lakh tonnes wheat export amid strong harvest outlook

With this, a total of 50 lakh tonne of wheat and 10 lakh tonne of wheat products have now been permitted for exports

El Nino impact may be muted, govt ready for kharif sowing: Shivraj Chouhan

The agriculture minister reviewed kharif preparedness amid El Nino concerns, said strong reservoir levels, irrigation and contingency planning will help limit impact on farm output

Centre okays UP potato procurement at ₹6,500/ton; raises gram limit in AP

In a separate decision, the Union Agriculture Ministry raised the procurement limit for gram in Andhra Pradesh to 1.13 lakh tonnes, up from the existing cap of 94,500 tonnes

Centre relaxes wheat procurement norms for Punjab for 2026-27 season

As per the new parameters, FCI will now accept wheat with 70 per cent lustre loss and 15 per cent shrivelled grains in Punjab, as against the existing quality standard of 6 per cent shrivelled grains

MP farmers allege substandard bitter gourd seeds; FIR filed against Nunhems

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered a ban on Nunhems' 'Robusta' bitter gourd seed brand, as per an official statement

Datanomics: Met accuracy improves; farm GVA shifts slightly from crops

Improving monsoon forecasts and a gradual shift from crops to livestock are reducing agriculture's direct impact on India's overall economic growth

Ahead of farmers' protest, FCI Punjab backs easing wheat procurement norms

Punjab farmers are planning to stage the rail blockade, precisely demanding the same, which is easing of wheat procurement standards in line with neighbouring Haryana and Rajasthan