Page 4 - Agriculture

India must move surplus labour out of agriculture, says NITI's Ashok Lahiri

Country must create efficient farm markets and replace subsidies with direct income transfers, the NITI Aayog vice chairman said

Cotton price relief from duty cut may prove short-lived, traders warn

While cotton and yarn prices have eased after the import duty cut, traders caution that global price risks, El Nino concerns and the October import window could limit the benefits

Farmers procure 3.5 times more organic manure this kharif season

India imports a large quantity of urea and di-ammonium phosphate to meet local demand. Total domestic production of fertilisers, including urea

Organic manure purchases by farmers jumped 3.5 times this kharif season

The stock is more than 51 per cent of the kharif season demand and this is significantly higher than the usual level of 33 per cent

Indore to host Brics meet on food security, farmer welfare: Shivraj Chouhan

The discussions under India's presidency will include a three-day agriculture working group meeting from June 9 and a two-day Brics ministerial meeting from June 12

As Centre eases onion procurement norms, farmers seek MSP of ₹3,000/quintal

While welcoming the decision, farmer leaders on Sunday said the core issue facing growers was not eligibility for procurement but the low prices being offered

Agriculture sector growth dips in FY26 amid decline in current prices

Q4 growth recovers in FY26 due to good rabi harvest, say experts

Poultry output to fall 25% as rising soybean meal prices squeeze margins

Move might push up chicken and egg prices, impacting consumer wallets

El Nino's local impact may outweigh overall monsoon deficit, warn experts

Experts say the spatial distribution of rainfall and longer monsoon breaks could have a greater impact on farmers and rural livelihoods than the overall seasonal rainfall deficit

Sugar industry seeks Centre of Excellence for advanced sugarcane breeding

ISMA and NFCSF have proposed a ₹87.94-crore Centre of Excellence at ICAR-SBI, Coimbatore, to accelerate development of climate-resilient and disease-resistant sugarcane varieties

Centre expands QR tagging of FCI foodgrain bags to boost traceability

The QR tagging system enables authorities to trace each bag back to its procurement centre, the agency that procured it, and the season it belongs to

West Asia war: Centre working on extending new investment policy for urea

The move is projected to save the exchequer more than ₹10,500 crore annually in subsidies, based on conservative estimates and assuming an average imported urea price of $345 per tonne

Chouhan reviews monsoon progress, flags El Nino risk; govt on alert mode

The government is on "alert mode", Chouhan said, asking officials to maintain constant check on monsoon status

India scales down kharif 2026 fertiliser requirement to 38.39 mn tonnes

India currently has around 19.98 million tonnes of fertilisers in stock, which means it has almost 52 per cent of the total reassessed requirement in stock as of today

Farmer groups welcome Centre's pullback of changes to Sugarcane Control law

Farmer organisations and political leaders have welcomed the Centre's decision to withdraw proposed amendments to the Sugarcane Control Order, saying it would protect growers and small processors

Centre plans farmer outreach campaign from June on soil over El Nino worry

Centre will begin a month-long 'Save the Fields' campaign from June 1, offering crop-specific advisories and climate-resilient farming guidance as IMD lowers its monsoon forecast

Centre withdraws draft amendments to Sugarcane Control Order of 1966

The amendments were floated last month and were open for public comments till May 20

Urea sales jump 10%, DAP 39% amid panic buying after West Asia war

Consumers bought around 5.05 million tonnes of urea between March 1 and May 25, 2026, as against 4.60 million tonnes during the same period last year

Plans afoot to counter El Niño threat to kharif crops, says Chouhan

The ministry is in the process of identifying districts for alternative crops and ensuring seed availability in the event of an El Nino impact, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said

Madhya Pradesh govt procures record 10.42 million tonnes of wheat

Madhya Pradesh purchased wheat from more than 1.34 million farmers, surpassing the Centre's revised procurement target of 10 million tonnes