Agriculture In India

Stubble burning incidents fallen due to machinery support: Agri secy

Stubble burning incidents in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Haryana have reduced this year due to government support for farm machinery and other measures, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said on Monday. The government has provided farmers with relevant equipment and necessary interventions to tackle the problem, Chaturvedi told reporters on the sidelines of an event. "Certainly...because of the policy of providing machineries and in-situ and ex-situ measures, the incidents of stubble burning in Delhi, NCR, Punjab and Haryana have reduced," he said. There have hardly been incidents of stubble burning in the last ten days, he said. Stubble burning by farmers in northern India after harvesting has been a major contributor to severe air pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas during winter months. When asked about other pollution sources, Chaturvedi said other ministries were better placed to comment. "If there are other reasons (for pollution), other ministries are best to say," he

Technology-driven smart farming key to building a Viksit Bharat: Niti Aayog

Technology-led smart agriculture holds the key to building a Viksit Bharat, Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said on Tuesday. "The agri-tech landscape is evolving rapidly, from genetic modification and precision farming to data science and ICT-based advisory systems," Chand said, while addressing an Assocham event here. He said farmers today must have access to capital, knowledge, and partnerships that enable them to adapt to this transformation, according to a statement. "Every technology brings both a solution and a challenge; we must ensure innovation also respects sustainability and environmental balance," Chand said, adding that India is not just a food-secure nation, but one moving towards value addition and climate-smart agriculture. The Niti Ayog member said 46 per cent of the the country's population is employed in the agricultural sector, making it the largest contributor to the Viksit Bharat mission, with significant growth observed in tier-II regions such as Assam and Mad

Agriculture needs more automation to make it a lucrative business

The need now is to promote novel and state-of-the-art technologies, such as geospatial programming and artificial intelligence, to optimise farm productivity

'Conflict of interest' issues becoming a trap in adopting GM tech

GEAC and RCGM remain robust, science-driven regulatory bodies committed to biosafety and public interest; constructive dialogue after scientific review can effectively build trust and transparency

PM launches ₹35,440 cr agri schemes, inaugurates projects worth ₹5,450 cr

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched two major schemes for the agriculture sector with a combined outlay of Rs 35,440 crore, including a pulses mission aimed at reducing import dependency. The event coincided with the birth anniversary of socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan. He also inaugurated projects valued at over Rs 5,450 crore in the agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and food processing sectors, while laying the foundation stone for additional projects worth around Rs 815 crore. The 'Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses', with an outlay of Rs 11,440 crore, aims at increasing pulses production from the current 252.38 lakh tonne to 350 lakh tonne by the 2030-31 crop year and reducing the country's import dependency. The Rs 24,000-crore 'Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana' aims to transform 100 low-performing agri-districts. The scheme will focus on enhancing productivity, promoting crop diversification, improving irrigation and storage, and ensuring

BL Agro aims to become $2.25 bn group by 2030, to invest ₹3k cr in 5 years

Uttar Pradesh-based BL Agro, which mainly sells edible oils and processed food items, will invest Rs 3,000 crore to expand its business and achieve an aggressive target of growing its revenue 2.5 times to Rs 20,000 crore in the next five years. In an interview with PTI, CEO Navneet Ravikar said the company would make these investments to fund expansion plans across various food categories like rice and milk. BL Agro Group, which sells cooking oils under the brand 'Bail Kolhu' and processed food items under 'Nourish' and other brands, had a turnover of around Rs 8,000 crore in 2024-25 fiscal. The Bareilly-based family-owned group has plans to invest around Rs 3,000 crore in the next five years on expansion of several projects, which include setting up a rice business along with milk. It will also set up a 360-degree value chain with manufacturing to processing unit, along with a feed processing and CBG (Compressed Bio Gas) units, he said. As part of its growth strategy, the BL Agro

India can spark second Green Revolution with more agri R&D: CIMMYT chief

CIMMYT chief Bram Govaerts says India can drive a second Green Revolution by investing in agricultural research and global partnerships as the farm sector faces new challenges

Want to know where to grow a crop? This Noida agritech startup tells you

This AI platform can analyse climate, soil, and crop data to predict what grows best where-boosting yields and cutting carbon risks

Tropical Agrosystem eyes 22% revenue jump to ₹2,200 crore in FY26

Chennai-based agrochemicals company Tropical Agrosystem is targeting a 22 per cent jump in revenues to Rs 2,200 crore this fiscal year, driven by a favourable monsoon and strong demand for its patented products, Chairman V K Jhaver said. The company, which competes with MNC giants like Bayer, Syngenta and UPL, expects to turn debt-free by next fiscal and is exploring private equity funding instead of going public. Tropical Agrosystem has launched three patented products including herbicide Tag Proxy and granular insecticide Tag Stem Lee, with three more slated for December launch. The company is confident of achieving Rs 100 crore in sales from its new dual-action paddy insecticide Stem Lee alone this financial year. "We have just introduced one patented product 'Stem Lee' for dual-action control of stem borer and leaf folder in paddy crops. I am confident that this product will have sales of Rs 100 crore this year. I don't think it should be a problem to achieve Rs 2,200 crore sale

Farmers' welfare top priority under PM Modi's leadership: Shivraj Chouhan

Chouhan said that with the help of the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, the government is ensuring that the assistance reaches directly into the accounts of the farmers

Rallis India zooms 9%, hits record as Q1 profit nearly doubles; do you own?

Rallis India share price hit a fresh record high after posting strong June quarter of financial year of 2026 (Q1FY26) results.

Google focuses on India's farms and languages in new AI initiatives

Google unveils open-source AI initiatives targeting India's agriculture and linguistic diversity, aiming to enhance farming productivity and cultural representation in AI models, boosting partnerships

Chinese squeeze drives up DAP fertiliser prices, spurs West Asia reliance

It's the second-most-consumed fertiliser in India after urea but a significant portion is imported

Evaporation, less rains affect maize cultivation in Marathwada: Official

Irregular rainfall and moisture evaporation have raised concerns for the maize crop cultivation in various parts of Marathwada region in Maharashtra this month, an agriculture official said on Monday. Nearly 2,56,650.38 hectares of land is estimated to come under maize (corn) cultivation this year in the Marathwada districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Hingoli, Dharashiv, Latur, Parbhani and Nanded. Till June 19, sowing was completed on 98,891.20 hectares, as per a report from the agriculture department. "The evaporation has raised concern for the maize crop in the region," district superintending agriculture officer Prakash Deshmukh told PTI. "A crop like maize is sensitive to moisture and water. The area under maize cultivation has gone up in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and other parts of Marathwada, replacing the cotton crop in about 50,000 hectares," he said. In some areas of the region, moisture is getting reduced. Therefore, the maize crop is getting water stres

India will protect farmers' interest in US trade talks: Agri min Chouhan

India will prioritise protecting its farmers' interests while assessing potential gains and losses in the ongoing trade negotiations with the United States over agricultural market access, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said. "Our priority is to protect the interest of our farmers. India will not work closing its eyes. We will assess our gains and losses. Keeping that in mind, an agreement will be finalised," Chouhan told PTI in an interview. He was responding to a query on how India would safeguard farmers amid US pressure for greater market access for American agricultural and horticultural products. The negotiators are expected to agree on the framework for the broad contours of the first phase of the bilateral deal, expected to be signed by fall (September-October) 2025. "The discussions are ongoing between India and the US. One thing is clear, we will protect the interest of our farmers. When we talk about two nations, we need to see the overall trade," the ministe

India needs 5% agri growth yearly to become developed by 2047: Chouhan

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said India requires a five per cent annual growth rate in agriculture and allied sectors to become a developed nation by 2047. Chouhan highlighted that foodgrain is grown on 93 per cent of farmland, but the growth is just 1.5 per cent. "We are working towards bridging the yield gap in crops and achieving a national average yield... If we have to make India a developed nation by 2047, agriculture and allied sectors have to grow at 5 per cent annually," he said. He was speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual conference of Vice Chancellors of Agricultural Universities and Directors of ICAR Institutes. The minister expressed confidence that the five per cent annual growth rate is achievable, emphasising that various agricultural institutes play a key role in this endeavour. "Research plays a very important role in increasing agricultural production and reducing costs. Our target is to maintain an annual ...

India's farm exports might face challenges in FY26, but all is not lost

India's farm exports could surge past $40 billion in FY25, driven by rice and seafood, but fresh geopolitical tensions and US tariff risks could cloud the outlook for FY26

Noted agronomist Mangi Lal Jat appointed as director general of ICAR

Jat is a well-recognised systems agronomist with over 25 years of experience in systems science across the developing world

What makes rural women-led agri growth - the steadiest way to progress

The women-led agricultural growth is a lesson for planners to recognise the economic potential of a women-led growth with decentralised community action

Preserving paddy fields needed for food security, groundwater: Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Wednesday said it intends to protect and preserve the existing paddy lands in the state at any cost and will not allow them to be converted for other purposes. The announcement was made in the state assembly by Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad in response to a query during question hour on whether the government intends to preserve existing paddy fields. The minister stressed the need to preserve the existing paddy fields from the perspective of ensuring food security and recharge the groundwater table. According to Prasad, one acre of paddy land collects around five crore litres of water underground in a year and therefore, it was important to preserve them from the angle of water resources. The minister opined that just like forest reserves, "there should be paddy reserves". However, we cannot tell a farmer that his agricultural land is being declared a reserve paddy field, he added. "That is why we enacted the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and