Page 6 - Agriculture Economy

HADP to build Rs 1 trillion agri-economy for J&K by 2030: Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme is a movement to build a sustainable Rs 1,00,000 crore agri-economy for the state by 2030. He was chairing a review meeting on the implementation of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). The chief minister said digital innovation in agriculture aims to integrate cutting-edge technologies like AI-based advisory tools and real-time monitoring applications to strengthen governance at the grassroots level. "The programme is not just a policy intervention but a movement to empower farmers, modernise the agri-sector, and build a sustainable Rs 1,00,000 crore agri-economy for Jammu & Kashmir by 2030. "We are redefining how governance reaches the grassroots. HADP is making agriculture smart, data-driven, and future-ready," Abdullah said. Terming progressive farmers as the backbone of agricultural transformation, the chief minister said, "Their stories of success

This smallcap agricultural products stock has zoomed 49% in 1 month

Kaveri Seed share price surged 18% in 3 days after private weather forecasting agency Skymet said that the southwest monsoon is expected to be 'Normal' this year at 103% of the Long Period Average.

India exported 19.86 million tonnes rice till Mar 25 of FY25: Govt tells RS

India has exported 198.65 lakh tonnes of rice till March 25 of the last fiscal year, surpassing the outward shipment of 163.58 lakh tonnes in the entire 2023-24 financial year. In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya said, "The domestic production of agri-commodities. their availability and import/export is monitored closely by the government..." "...keeping in mind the interest of the consumers, domestic farmers and industry, the government makes necessary policy interventions as and when required to balance domestic food security in the country," she said. The minister shared the rice export data for the last five fiscal years. As per the data, India's rice exports stood at 198.65 lakh tonnes during April 1, 2024 to March 25, 2025. Out of the total exports till March 25 of the last fiscal, basmati rice shipments stood at 59.44 lakh tonnes. Exports of parboiled rice stood at 90.44 lakh tonnes, non-basmati

States can choose to include tenant farmers in farmer registry: MoS

State governments can decide on whether to include tenant and lessee farmers in their farmer registry, Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The State Farmer Registry under the Digital Agriculture Mission enables farmers to receive a unique farmer ID to access government benefits. In his written reply to the Lower House, Thakur said the State Farmer Registry covers all the landholder farmers, including women farmers. "Farmers Registry application also has the provision to onboard the tenant and lessee farmers. A state can decide to include such farmers in the Farmers Registry as per the state's policy," it said. The minister said although internet penetration has increased in rural areas, additional steps have been taken to ensure digital inclusion of farmers who do not have mobile phones, they can use existing support structures like Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Krishi Sakhis, and Common Service Centres (CSCs), to get them register

Shivraj Singh Chouhan urges quick transfer of farm tech from labs to fields

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday emphasised the need for faster transfer of farm technologies from laboratories to the fields to benefit farmers. Addressing the Indian Agricultural Research Institute's (IARI) 63rd convocation, Chouhan stressed the adoption of agricultural machinery, smart farming and advanced digital technologies to address global challenges. "Research will have to be further strengthened to make India a leader in the agricultural sector," he said, noting that innovations are particularly necessary to increase income for the country's numerous small and marginal farmers. India's agricultural growth rate currently stands at 5 per cent, which Chouhan attributed to the combined efforts of IARI and farmers, resulting in abundant food reserves, according to an official statement. The minister stressed the need for sustainable agriculture, climate-resilient farming, and organic and natural farming practices. He urged students to address agricultura

State govts boost farmer incentives amid concerns over fiscal strain

States are topping up PM-KISAN disbursement with own allocation to keep their poll promises. But can a rise in direct benefit transfer and bonus over MSP go hand in hand? Sanjeeb Mukherjee writes

BL Agro launches Rs 1,000 crore dairy breeding project in Bareilly

Leading FMCG company BL Agro on Saturday inaugurated a high-tech cattle breeding and dairy centre in Bareilly at an initial investment of Rs 1,000 crore with an aim to transform local agriculture. The state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence for Cow Breeding and Dairy Technology, a part of the subsidiary firm BL Khamdhenu, was inaugurated by Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan, the company said in a statement. The project, "Satat Kamdhenu", with a focus on circular practices in dairy sector was unveiled on the occasion. The "BL Kamdhenu Farms" will initially house 5,000 indigenous cows, eventually doubling to 10,000, as part of the company's Satat Kamdhenu initiative. "The initial investment in the project is around Rs 1,000 crore and the whole project once it is up to full capacity will cost Rs 3,000 crore," BL Agro Managing Director Ashish Khandelwal said. The key focus has been to create a sustainable and a circular economy that minimises agri-waste and boosts

Only 15% paddy, 9.6% wheat farmers benefit from MSP system, says paper

However, the MSP system also gives farmers a 23.2 per cent income bump from paddy and 9.6 per cent more income from wheat cultivation

Google building digital agri stack for India using satellite imagery

Global tech giant Google is building a digital agri-stack using satellite imagery and has started with a base layer that will help identify farm boundaries, a senior official said on Saturday. Data and analysis of this base layer of the stack can be used in a slew of applications like bettering the subsidy payments, farm insurance or farm loans, Manish Gupta, a senior director at Google DeepMind said. ".. we have built the first such model that using satellite imagery analysis can now start to identify field boundaries based on usage pattern start to identify what crops are being grown and so on," Gupta said, speaking at the Mumbai Tech Week here. The model has taken inspiration from UIDAI's Aadhar, ascribing a unique ID to each farm and is intended to act as a base layer of the "digital agri stack", he said. Gupta said it is upon the startups and other agri-tech players to build solutions which will provide loan crop insurance and also subsidies using the data churned out by the .

PM calls for speedy implementation of agri budget, keeping focus on action

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged stakeholders to suggest ways to make ongoing schemes more effective and implement this year's budget in a speedy manner on the ground level. Addressing virtually the post-budget webinar on "Agriculture and rural prosperity", Modi said the government has presented a full budget in the third term, ensuring consistency in policy and reflecting the vision of Viksit Bharat. Modi said before the budget, inputs and suggestions from all stakeholders helped in framing it. "Now this budget needs to be implemented more effectively on the ground," he said. Agriculture is considered as the first engine of growth and the government is moving ahead with the target of achieving agricultural growth and rural prosperity, he said. Modi highlighted the need to enhance production of pulses to reduce the country's dependence on imports, and also asked private sector to focus on high-yielding crop seeds. He urged the stakeholders to discuss how the ongoin

BS Manthan: GM only way to lower edible oil imports, says NITI's Chand

NITI Aayog Member Ramesh Chand says GM is only way to lower edible oil imports

Govt achieves goal of setting up of 10,000 farmer producer organisations

The government on Friday said it has achieved the target of establishing 10,000 farmer producer organisations (FPOs) under a flagship central scheme. The 10,000th FPO, registered in Khagaria district in Bihar, focuses on maize, banana and paddy and was launched recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The central scheme for Formation and Promotion of 10,000 FPOs" was launched on February 29th 2020 with a budget outlay of Rs 6,865 crore till 2027-28. According to the agriculture ministry, the successful formation of 10,000 FPOs marks a "transformative milestone for the agriculture sector." This achievement not only boosts agricultural productivity and income but also contributes to rural job creation and economic resilience. "As India moves forward, the continued support and expansion of FPOs will be instrumental in shaping a self-reliant, efficient, and prosperous agricultural ecosystem," the ministry said in a statement. Since the launch, Rs 254.4 crore in equity grants has bee

Scorching March likely to put India's wheat crop production at risk

India, the world's second-biggest wheat producer, is counting on a bumper harvest in 2025 to avoid costly imports, after three consecutive years of poor crop yields since 2022

'Aatmanirbhar means readiness for uncertainty', says Principal Secy to PM

BS Manthan: PK Mishra, principal secretary to the Prime Minister of India, believes the country must adopt an 'anti-fragile' approach in an uncertain world

Operative Kisan Credit Card loans hit Rs 10 trn, benefiting 77.2 mn farmers

The finance ministry on Tuesday said the amount under operative Kisan Credit Card (KCC) accounts has crossed Rs 10 lakh crore, benefiting 7.72 crore farmers as of December 31, 2024. The operative KCC amount stood at Rs 4.26 lakh crore in March 2014. This indicates a significant increase in the quantum of affordable working capital loans provided to farmers for agriculture and allied activities, the finance ministry said in a statement. It is a reflection of credit deepening in agriculture and reduced dependency on non-institutional credit, the ministry added. KCC is a banking product that provides farmers with timely and affordable credit for purchasing agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides, as well as for meeting cash requirements related to crop production and allied activities. In 2019, the KCC scheme was extended to cover the working capital requirements of allied activities like animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries. The government, under the Modifie

Govt mulling ways to curb distress sale of farm produce: Shivraj Chouhan

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said the government is working out measures to ensure that farmers do not have to sell their produces, especially fruits and vegetables, at throwaway prices. Speaking after inaugurating the 'Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela' 2025 -- being held in the national capital from February 22-24 -- he emphasised the need to take new seeds varieties and farm technologies from labs to agriculture filed at the earliest. Chouhan said the government is holding discussions with farmers directly as well as through their organisations to understand the problems and then making schemes to address the issues. "Jahan-Jahan takleefein dekh rahe hain, hum yojana bana rahe hain (wherever we are seeing problems, we are making schemes to address those)", the minister said, listing out steps taken by the government in the last few years to protect the interest of farmers. Chouhan said the government has removed exports restrictions on rice and onions while

Farm facelift: Budget offers hope for agri, but is it enough to modernise?

Besides the tech issue, the Budget may not have addressed some other concerns relevant for the agriculture sector

Before GIS, MP releases key policies including industrial and export policy

According to officials from the industry department, the government has made key changes in its policies to attract industrialists, multinational companies, and investors ahead of GIS

Over 20.5 mn farmer IDs created under Digital Agriculture Mission: Govt

More than 2.05 crore farmer IDs have been generated under the Digital Agriculture Mission, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur, in his written reply to the Lok Sabha, said the State Farmer Registry under the Digital Agriculture Mission covers all landholder farmers, including women farmers. Farmers Registry application also has the provision to onboard the tenant and lessee farmers. A state can decide to include such farmers in the Farmers Registry as per the state's policy. "As of February 2, a total of 2,05,26,912 farmer IDs have been created...," Thakur said. This includes 1.02 crore farmer IDs in Uttar Pradesh, 41.87 lakh IDs in Madhya Pradesh, 36.36 lakh in Gujarat, 22.54 lakh in Maharashtra, 1.42 lakh in Assam, and 75,593 in Rajasthan. About 14,343 farmer IDs have been created in Chhatisgarh, 9,843 in Odisha, 3,054 in Tamil Nadu, 424 in Andhra Pradesh and 19 IDs in Bihar. The Digital Agriculture Mission, with an outlay of Rs

Soy, groundnut purchase deadline extended as prices remain below MSP

Extends deadline for soybean, groundnut procurement as prices stay below MSP