Page 26 - Agriculture Economy

Area under paddy up 4.4%, pulses down 8.3% this kharif season: Govt

Area under paddy crop increased by 4.4 per cent to 384.05 lakh hectares so far in the ongoing kharif season despite a lag in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture on Friday. However, pulse acreage was down 8.30 per cent at 117.44 lakh hectares as on August 25 as against 128.07 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Tur, urad and moong acreage, too, remained lower. Kharif (summer) sowing begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon in June, while harvesting starts in October. Paddy is the main kharif crop as more than 80 per cent of the total rice production is grown during this season. "We are quite comfortable in paddy area coverage. Sowing is still underway and the window is till September 15," Agriculture Commissioner P K Singh told PTI. Paddy acreage has increased to 384.05 lakh hectares as of August 25 in the ongoing kharif season as against 367.83 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Maximum increase in paddy coverage was

Sunil Mittal says 60% of world's arable, uncultivated land in Africa

Africa's arable, uncultivated and fertile land can offer solution to food crisis, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chair of B20 India Action Council on African Economic Integration, said, adding that adopting Africa as a place to do agriculture can potentially change the world. Mittal said Africa economic integration is gaining momentum, and expressed hope that the Africa Union will soon become a permanent member of G20. Mittal asserted that African voice in G20 is "absolutely important". "Sixty per cent of world's arable and yet uncultivated land is in Africa...today we have all seen the crisis that the world is going through on food production...Just adopt Africa as place to do agriculture, perhaps some value added agriculture...the entire world can change," he said speaking at B20 Summit India 2023. Mittal, who is Bharti Enterprises Chairperson, described Africa as the last continent of hope. "...one of the most populous young continent around the globe, but equally one of the most backwar

80% of arable land in 8 J'khand districts lying fallow due to scanty rains

More than 80 per cent of arable land meant for paddy cultivation in eight Jharkhand districts is lying fallow due to scanty rainfall, an official said on Saturday. The ideal sowing period for paddy is from July 1 to July 31, according to agricultural experts. With delayed or scanty rainfall in the early months of monsoon in the last few years, many farmers nowadays sow crops till mid-August but that does not lead to a good harvest, they said. Overall paddy sowing coverage in Jharkhand was recorded at 43.66 per cent till August 18. Paddy was sown in only 7.85 lakh hectares of land against the target of 18 lakh hectares till August 18, according to coverage data of the state agriculture department. The situation is grim in eight districts out of the total 24 districts in the state in terms of paddy coverage. Palamu district has recorded the state's lowest paddy sowing coverage at 2.96 per cent till August 18, followed by Jamtara (5.63%), Dumka (7.66%), Garhwa (8.43%), Dhanbad (10.26%)

Centre aims zero stubble burning in current season: Agriculture Minister

The Centre aims to work towards achieving zero paddy stubble burning incidents in the current season, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Friday. To achieve this, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi governments presented their action plan and strategies for preventing paddy stubble burning at an inter-ministerial meeting on Thursday. Stubble burning is a process of setting on fire the straw stubble, left after the harvesting of paddy. It is a common practice in October and November primarily in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. "The aim in the current season is to work towards achieving zero stubble burning," Tomar said. The Centre is providing sufficient funds under Crop Residue Management (CRM)scheme to the four states and they must ensure proper utilization by providing machine to farmers in a timely manner, he said in a statement. There is a need for proper monitoring at the state level to ensure proper utilization of the machines and the use of ...

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Maha to bring law to curb sale of bogus seeds, fertilisers: State minister

The Maharashtra government will bring a law to curb the sale of bogus seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, state agriculture minister Dhananjay Munde said in the legislative council on Friday. Explaining the need for such a law, he said farmers across the state are being frequently cheated. We are bringing a law. It will be brought in the current Monsoon session to curb the sale of bogus seeds, fertilisers and pesticides in Maharashtra, Munde said in the council. Munde, who recently took charge of the agriculture ministry, said companies selling genuine seeds and other agriculture-related products won't be bothered by officials.

Rs 17,000 cr under PM-KISAN released by PM to benefit farmers: CM Saha

Prime Minister Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone and dedicated a series of transformative development projects in Sikar, Rajasthan

Statsguru: India's agri output may outpace global growth over 10-yr period

The production of pulses in India is likely to rise by 45 per cent by 2032, compared to a 30 per cent global rise, suggested the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2023-2032

Companies feel the heat of an unusual summer; demand drops for coal, ACs

Unseasonal rain, high number of heatwave days upend business cycle of several sectors

India's new initiatives for sustainable fertiliser mgmt

These initiatives aim to structurally transform Indian agriculture through the synergy of various efforts of policy intervention, investment, financial support, technological intervention

Weak demand, inventory to weigh on agrochemical companies' stocks

Street remains cautious about the sector due to lower price realisations and fears about El Nino's impact on the monsoon

Govt revises crop residue management guidelines

The government on Saturday said it has revised the crop residue management guidelines, thus enabling efficient ex-situ management of paddy straw generated in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. As per the revised guidelines, techno-commercial pilot projects for paddy straw supply chain will be established under the bilateral agreement between the beneficiary/aggregator and industries utilising the paddy straw, the agriculture ministry said in a statement. The beneficiary or aggregator can be farmers, rural entrepreneurs, cooperative societies of farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and panchayats, it said. According to the ministry, the move will supplement the efforts of paddy straw management through in-situ options. During the three-year tenure of the interventions, 1.5 million tonne of surplus paddy straw are expected to be collected which would otherwise have been burnt in fields. About 333 biomass collection depots of capacity 4,500 tonne will be built in Pun

Tomato prices soar across country due to supply dip, cost Rs 80-100 per kg

Tomato prices have also skyrocketed in the southern state of Karnataka and its capital city Bengaluru as incessant rains have damaged the crop and made transportation difficult

Studying market to adequately compensate sunflower growers: Haryana CM

"I would like to clarify that despite challenges, the Centre or the state government is taking pro-farmer policies," the minister said

Gunny bag shortage hits crop procurement, says Rajasthan minister

The minister said mustard and gram were being procured from April 1 on support price in the state. Till June 6, 347,000 tonnes of gram and mustard have been procured from over 140,000 farmers

MoS Agri pitches for adoption of new farm tech for achieving $5 trn economy

Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary on Friday said mass adoption of new technologies like drones, artificial intelligence (AI) and precision farming in the agriculture sector is essential for India to achieve USD 5 trillion economy milestone. "... we need to leverage new technologies, such as drones, AI, precision farming, blockchain in farming to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi's near future target of USD 5 trillion economy," the minister said while addressing an event organised by agro-chemical firm Dhanuka Group. Choudhary also urged scientists to identify untapped areas, such as rain-fed districts to increase agriculture production substantially by empowering farmers with new agri technologies. The potential of most of the agri-land in the country has been exhausted, only the area dependant on rains is left whose potential needs to be tapped, he said in a statement. Making a strong pitch for genetically modified (GM) crops, Deepak Pental, former Vice ...

Dung a cash cow, more valuable than cattle fodder, says NSO report

Except for a slight decline between FY17 and FY18, the output value of livestock dung experienced consistent growth in 10 years

El Nino unlikely to dampen tractor industry volumes in a big way

Likely El Niño may water down sentiment but industry does not see huge downside in sales in FY24

Acreage of summer crops down slightly; area under rice, oilseeds falls

The area under coverage for summer crops is marginally down so far at 65.29 lakh hectares, according to the agriculture ministry data. The sowing area under rice and oilseeds is less, while the acreage of pulses and coarse cereals is higher, the data showed. The ministry on Monday released the progress of area coverage under summer crops as of April 28, 2023. As per the data, the area under coverage for rice stood at 27.45 lakh hectares so far against 29.14 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Pulses acreage rose to 17.57 lakh hectare from 16.23 lakh hectares, while sowing area of coarse cereals increased to 10.86 lakh hectares from 10.19 lakh hectares. In the non-foodgrains category, oilseeds acreage is down at 9.40 lakh hectares till April 28 from 10.46 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Overall, the total area under summer crops till April 28 stood at 65.29 lakh hectares, marginally down from 66.02 lakh hectares a year ago. The growing season for zaid/summer crops is shor

FY24 MGNREGS budget might last just a few months if enough work provided

During below-normal monsoon years, MGNREGS acts as a cushion for rural labourers who find it difficult to get work in the fields and farms