Page 22 - Agriculture Economy

India set to become largest lentil producer in 2023-24 crop yr: Official

Says pitching for self-sufficiency in pulses, but imports will have to continue for sometime

Govt eyes doubling cash handout for women farmers ahead of Lok Sabha polls

The plan is likely to be announced in the budget on Feb. 1 and could cost the government an additional Rs 12,000 crore, said two of sources, all of whom declined to be named discussing budget proposal

Jeera prices halve after sowing increases on 2023 hopes, shows data

Experts are saying the slump could be due to expectations of a bumper crop this year. Farmers had sown the crop in a larger area after prices hit multi-year highs last year

Govt wants current generations ṭo not face issues that earlier ones did: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said his government wants to get a large part of the population out of the struggle for small daily needs so that the present and future generations don't face the problems experienced by earlier generations. Asserting that the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra has not only become the journey of a government but of the country, he said when the poor, farmers, women and youth are empowered, the nation will become powerful. Addressing the Yatra in various parts of the country via video conferencing, the prime minister said that under earlier governments, the scope of discussions on agricultural policy was only limited to production and sale, neglecting the various issues faced by farmers daily. "Our government has made all-out efforts to ease every difficulty of the farmers," Modi said. In his remarks, Prime Minister Modi also talked about the transfer of at least Rs 30,000 to every farmer through PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, promotion of cooperation in ...

ATM agriculture requires imagination

In this agriculture, conventional science is turned upside down

Agri growth pegged at 7-year low of 1.8% in FY24 due to poor Kharif harvest

However, some experts said the GVA numbers could stand to be revised as the initial estimates are based on extrapolation of figures for five-six months and a final picture will emerge only around Feb

The Red Sea conflict: Agri, textile exporters hold back shipments

The cost of freight and insurance has risen due to ships being compelled to avoid the region and take a longer route around the Cape of Good Hope

Rajasthan farmers rejoice at cold weather, say it's a boon for rabi crops

Commodity traders also feel that the production of Rabi crops will increase due to severe cold conditions

Chhattisgarh government achieves over 50% of paddy procurement at MSP

The BJP government has increased the cap and is procuring 21 quintal/acre of paddy from farmers

Govt has strictly no plans to put MEP on all agri commodities: Comm Min

The government on Friday said there are "strictly" no plans to impose the minimum export price (MEP) on all agricultural products. Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal said that there is no such intention of the government to look into exports of all agri products. "Just want to clarify that the government has no intention to put in MEP on all agri products or review all agri products from the export perspective. There is no such decision. The government has strictly no such plans," he told reporters here. An inter-ministerial committee, which looks into MEP on onion, has recently decided on basmati rice. He said that the committee getting a wider mandate does not mean that "the committee is there to look into each agri product and start recommending MEP for that". He informed that despite banning exports of non-basmati white rice, India has allocated 13 lakh tonnes of rice for exports to over 14 countries for their food security issues.

Cotton acreage may drop by 10% on falling yield, low price, says CAI

In the 2023 kharif season, as per government data, cotton crop was sown in around 12.38 million hectares, which was over 3 per cent less than the previous year

Govt plans to sell FCI rice under Bharat brand, price not yet decided

In order to check rice inflation, the government is considering a proposal to sell FCI rice under the 'Bharat' brand but the discounted rate has not yet been decided, a food ministry official said on Wednesday. The ministry's efforts to check retail rice prices by boosting domestic availability through sale of FCI rice via e-auction under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) has received a lukewarm response. "There is a proposal to retail 'Bharat rice' but the price has not yet been decided," the official told PTI. Under the OMSS, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is offering quality rice at a reserve price of Rs 29 per kg. "Whether to sell Bharat rice at the same rate or reduced rate, the decision has to be taken by the Group of Ministers," the official added. The government is already selling wheat flour (atta) and pulses under the Bharat brand through outlets managed by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), National Cooperative Consumers' .

Agriculture exports relying on 5 items make sector volatile: GTRI

India's agri export basket is dependent on just five commodities including rice and sugar and this makes the sector vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and demand, a report by economic think tank GTRI said. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that these five products -- basmati rice, non-basmati rice, sugar, spices, and oil meals -- account for 51.5 per cent of India's total agriculture exports. Furthermore, India grapples with various domestic challenges, including infrastructural deficits, quality control issues, and non-tariff barriers, all of which impede the growth and competitiveness of the country's agricultural sector, it said. "This makes them (agri exports) vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and demand," it said, adding these commodities also face frequent export bans in India. At present export of non-basmati rice is banned from India and the country is also fighting at the WTO (World Trade Organisation) to protect subsidies to rice and whea

'Wheat sown in 30.86 mn HA, climate resilient seeds planted in 60% area'

After facing loss due to terminal heatwave last year, more farmers are cultivating climate resilient wheat varieties which has been sown in more than 60 per cent of the planted area of 30.86 million hectares so far, according to agriculture commissioner P K Singh. Wheat is the main rabi (winter) crop, sowing of which normally begins in November and harvesting is done from March-April. As per the agriculture ministry data, wheat sown area stood at 30.86 million hectares till December 22 of the ongoing rabi season, slightly lower than 31.44 million hectares in the year-ago period. "This is because there was a delay in wheat sowing in some parts where paddy harvesting got late. Otherwise, wheat sowing is progressing well," Singh told PTI. Keeping in mind the terminal heat problem that wheat farmers faced last year, the government this year has promoted climate resilient wheat varieties and kept a target to cover 60 per cent of the total cropped area, he said. "We have exceeded the ta

51.5% agri exports from just 5 products makes sector vulnerable: GTRI

India's agri export basket is dependent on just five commodities including rice and sugar and this makes the sector vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and demand, a report by economic think tank GTRI said on Monday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said these five products -- basmati rice, non-basmati rice, sugar, spices, and oil meals -- account for 51.5 per cent of India's total agriculture exports. Furthermore, India grapples with various domestic challenges including infrastructural deficits, quality control issues, and non-tariff barriers, all of which impede the growth and competitiveness of its agricultural sector, it said. "This makes them (agri exports) vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and demand," it said, adding these commodities also face frequent export bans in India. At present export of non-basmati rice is currently banned from India and India is also fighting at the WTO (World Trade Organisation) to protect subsidies to rice and wheat

India's agri exports may stay flat in FY24 due to ban on wheat, rice, sugar

India exported agricultural products worth $53 billion in the previous financial year

Govt monitoring rice situation in domestic, intl mkts on weekly basis

The government is closely monitoring the rice situation in the domestic as well as international markets on weekly basis and it can increase the percentage share in global rice trade when favourable conditions arise, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. India has banned export of broken and non-basmati white rice in view of uncertainty around rice production here and other rice producing countries due to geopolitical scenario, El Nino sentiments and extreme climatic conditions to check domestic prices and ensure adequate availability in the market here. "The government is closely monitoring the rice scenario in the domestic market as well as in international forum on weekly basis and the government can increase the percentage share in global rice trade when favourable conditions arise," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. India was the largest rice exporting country in the world from 2018 to 2022 followed by Thailand and

Share of agriculture in India's GDP declined to 15% in FY23: Govt

Share of agriculture in India's GDP declined to 15 per cent last fiscal year from 35 per cent in 1990-91 due to rapid growth in the industrial and service sector, the government informed on Tuesday. "The share of agriculture in total Gross Value Added (GVA) of economy has declined from 35% in 1990-91 to 15% in 2022-23. The decline is brought out not by the decline in agricultural GVA but a rapid expansion in industrial and service sector GVA," Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. "In growth terms, agriculture and allied sector has registered an average annual growth of 4 per cent during last five years. As far as global experience is concerned, share of agriculture in the world's GDP has also declined over the decades and stands at about 4 per cent in recent years," he added. The minister said the government has adopted/implemented several developmental programmes, schemes, reforms and policies towards increasing agricultural productivity, ...

India to allow diversion of up to 1.7 million tons of sugar for ethanol

"A quota will soon be allocated for sugar mills and distilleries," said a senior government official, who preferred not to be named, following official rules

Louis Dreyfus eyes deeper engagement with agritech startups: Sumeet Mittal

Inflation in 2023-24 and 2024-25 won't be as impactful as it was last year