Page 2 - Agriculture In India

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

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

Agriculture remains India's strength, but what about farmer? Experts debate

BS Manthan: Experts discussed the future of agriculture in India and whether the sector remains profitable for its participants, especially small farmers

Is agriculture India's strength or weakness? Panel to debate at BS Manthan

At the second edition of BS Manthan, Business Standard's annual flagship summit, experts will debate whether agriculture is India's strength or weakness now

Govt won't tolerate irregularities in agriculture sector: Shivraj

The government does not tolerate irregularities and will take action if anyone is found guilty of indulging in corruption, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday amid allegations of corruption in Maharastra's agriculture department. Chouhan was responding to an allegation levelled by NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, who quoted a minister and an MLA of Maharashtra of talking about alleged corruption to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore in the state's agriculture department. "This is for the first time I am hearing. I don't know what is the real position. But if there is any irregularity anywhere, we will conduct an inquiry and action will be taken against the guilty," he said in the Lok Sabha. Replying to another question, the minister said that so far 23 states and union territories have implemented the centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) while the rest are yet to accept it. "It is the largest crop insurance scheme in the world. Some states

Govt may consider agri subsidies via direct benefit transfer: Shivraj Singh

The government is trying to bring policy-level changes for simplifying agriculture, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said and indicated that providing subsidies on fertiliser, seed and farming equipment through direct benefit transfer could be considered in the future. In an interaction with farmers, who were invited to witness the Republic Day parade as special guests, at his residence here on Monday, the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister said the government spends up to Rs 2,00,000 crore on fertiliser subsidies. "The fertiliser subsidy that the government gives costs to the tune of Rs 2,00,000 crore. A sack of urea costs Rs 265 to the farmers, but it costs Rs 2,400. The subsidy goes to the company. The fertilizer is also used for other purposes... If there is a reliable system, farmers can be given the subsidy directly in their accounts," Chouhan said. "The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi's cost comes to around Rs 60,000 crore, if the fertilizer subsidy is given throu

Amit Shah bats for science-led co-op farming, takes jibe at Sharad Pawar

Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Friday said agriculture becomes a profitable business when science is part of the cooperative sector. Shah also took a swipe at NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, saying just becoming a leader is not enough and questioned his contribution to the key sector when he was the Agriculture Minister in the Congress-led UPA government (2004-2014). 'You also need to work on the ground," he said while addressing a meeting of the cooperative sector at Malegaon in north Maharashtra's Nashik district. Shah, who also holds the home portfolio, pointed out that to emphasise on the importance of science, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had included 'Jai Vigyan' to former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri's famous slogan of 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' (hailing soldiers and farmers). Agriculture becomes a profitable business when science is part of the cooperative sector, noted the minister. He said a separate entity, Bharat Cooperative Organics Ltd (officially named National ...

Will Budget 2025 signal bold decisions for the agriculture sector?

Critics say that so far, the Modi government, in its third term, has resisted from making any bold or path-breaking initiatives for the farm sector

Agri, allied sector to grow 3.5-4% in FY25: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

The country's agriculture and allied sector is expected to grow at 3.5-4 per cent in 2024-25, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday, marking a significant improvement from the 1.4 per cent rise recorded in FY24. In a New Year message posted on social media platform X, Chouhan expressed confidence in India's development trajectory under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, highlighting various rural welfare initiatives implemented in the past six months. "The New Year has brought good news that the growth rate of agriculture and allied sector is likely to be 3.5 to 4 per cent this year," Chouhan said. The minister emphasised ongoing efforts to ensure fair prices for farmers' produce and pointed to several rural development programmes, including housing for the poor, village road connectivity, skill development, and the Lakhpati Didi campaign aimed at improving rural livelihoods. He also highlighted the role of MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural ...

Govt hikes crop insurance scheme allocation, subsidy for DAP fertiliser

Also, Rs 824.77 crore fund has been created to foster innovation and technology in the agriculture sector

Drop in nano-urea sales has fertiliser companies holding their breath

Nano urea sales dropped by a steep 43.2 per cent in FY24 from the previous year, despite production capacity rising by almost 59 per cent in that period

Foodgrain output to scale new peak in 2025 as farm sector eyes 4% growth

India is poised to achieve new heights in foodgrain production in 2025, driven by favourable monsoon, though significant challenges persist in pulses and oilseeds production as the country's agricultural sector shows signs of robust recovery. The Agriculture Ministry's initial projections paint an optimistic picture, with kharif (summer) foodgrain production estimated at a record 164.7 million tonnes for the 2024-25 crop year ending June 2025. Winter crop planting has maintained steady progress, with wheat sown across 29.31 million hectares as of mid-December 2024, while total rabi (winter) crops cover 55.88 million hectares. "We had a good kharif crop because of normal rainfall," Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi told PTI. "Overall, the crop prospect for the whole year looks promising," he added, though cautioning against potential heat waves in February-March that could affect the winter wheat harvest. The agricultural sector is projected to bounce back strongly, with grow