Agriculture

UPL to spin off crop protection business into separate listed entity

UPL will demerge and consolidate its India and global crop protection businesses into a new listed entity, UPL Global, enabling focused value discovery across the group's operations

Shivraj Singh Chouhan calls for making tree plantation a mass movement

Chouhan started the initiative on February 19, 2021, on Narmada Jayanti. He had planted saplings of 'Rudraksha' and 'Sal' at Amarkantak to mark the occasion

Brazil pushes deeper agri-tech, livestock ties with India amid US tariffs

Brazil calls for greater trade diversification to counter the negative impact of rising US tariffs

Explained: What is Bharat-VISTAAR and how will the new AI system guide farmers via phone calls?

India has launched Bharat-VISTAAR, an AI-driven multilingual agriculture platform that provides farmers with personalised advisory services, access to schemes

Tamil Nadu earmarks ₹47,248 crore for Agriculture in interim FY27 Budget

The Tamil Nadu government has earmarked Rs 47,248 crore for the Agriculture Department in the Interim Budget for 202627, and welfare schemes for farmers will continue, Minister MRK Panneerselvam said on Tuesday. In 202526, the government had allocated Rs 45,661 crore, he said while presenting the Agriculture Budget in the State Assembly. The ruling DMK government, after assuming office in May 2021, introduced a separate Agriculture Budget for 202122. Panneerselvam said that, based on inputs received from various stakeholders, a total allocation of Rs 1.94 lakh crore has been made for the agriculture and allied sectors over the last five Agriculture Budgets. "As the agriculture sector forms the foundation of Tamil Nadu's economic growth, this government is making sustained and determined efforts to modernise the sector, enhance farmers' incomes, increase production and productivity, and ensure food and nutritional security," he said. The state minister for agriculture and Farmers'

Sale of non-subsidised fertilisers banned in UP, industry cries foul

Industry players warn that UP's ban on non-subsidised fertilisers could curb access to high-quality nutrients, potentially hitting yields of sugarcane, paddy and key vegetables across the state

Shivraj Singh Chouhan to launch AI-enabled Bharat VISTAAR on Tuesday

This facility will be launched in Hindi and English in Phase One across several states, including Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat

Rajasthan govt plans to promote beekeeping to boost farmers' income

With subsidies, bee colony distribution and new Centres of Excellence, Rajasthan plans to boost honey output and farm incomes through large-scale beekeeping

Addressing nutrition along with hunger: Funding and policy push vital

High-yielding crops ended hunger, but often at a nutritional cost. New research shows modern grains lag traditional varieties, reviving the case for biofortification

Centre lifts ban on wheat exports after more than three years

500,000 tonnes of sugar exports allowed on top of an existing 1.5 mt window

ULI lender base grows to 89; interface has supported over 12 loan journeys

RBI's ULI onboards 89 lenders, supports 12+ digital loan journeys, enabling MSME, agri and retail credit via common tech infrastructure

Bringing urea under NBS scheme faces farmer income, pricing challenges

Pilot trials using Agri Stack and farmer IDs to rationalise urea use have shown promise, but issues of bringing urea under the Nutrient Based Subsidy and rationalising retail prices remain

Datanomics: India's agricultural trade with US remains marginal

Two-thirds of India's imports of tree nuts (such as almonds and pistachios) came from the US alone

What are GM crops and why they are a point of concern in US trade deal?

The India-US trade deal has revived debate over genetically modified crops, as New Delhi offers limited farm market access while keeping its most sensitive agricultural sectors protected

India-US trade deal: Farmer groups fear backdoor entry of GM crops via DDGS

Most farmer organisations and Opposition parties have sounded an alarm about the possible entry of GM products; Say could harm soy farmers in MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan

India logs record phosphatic, potassic fertiliser output in January 2026

This signals a significant step towards strengthening India's fertiliser self-sufficiency, reducing dependence on imports in a segment that has traditionally relied heavily on overseas supplies

Govt proposes merging two agricultural schemes for flexibility to states

The government on Friday informed Parliament that it is seeking inter-ministerial comments on a proposal to merge two central agriculture schemes - Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and Krishonnati Yojana - into a single umbrella scheme to provide greater flexibility to states. Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said the ministry's centrally sponsored schemes currently operate under two umbrellas - Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY) and Krishonnati Yojana (KY). An Expenditure Finance Commission (EFC) draft for an umbrella scheme covering centrally sponsored schemes of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for the 16th Finance Commission period has been initiated, he said. "The draft has been circulated for inter-ministerial consultations," Thakur said. The single umbrella scheme proposal has been initiated to give greater flexibility to states to take up need-based components, he ...

StarAgri sees 55% revenue jump in FY25, eyes ₹2,000 crore in FY26

StarAgri has remained profitable since inception, while its non-performing assets continue to remain below 1 per cent, reflecting disciplined risk management and balance sheet strength

Consumption story of staples is making a comeback: AWL Agri executives

AWL Agri targets 7-8% edible oil volume growth, banks on capacity expansion and a demand recovery led by rural markets and staples consumption

Farm livelihood concerns allayed as agri, dairy sectors kept out of US deal

Centre says sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy are outside the India-US trade deal, easing concerns even as US officials speak of higher farm exports