Page 7 - Agriculture Sector

Import duties to open agri sector key to ensure India's food security: GTRI

Maintaining high import duties on sensitive agri commodities like rice and resisting pressure to open up the domestic sector to low tariffs will be crucial for preserving India's self-sufficiency and ensuring food security for its population, a report said on Monday. Economic think tank GTRI (Global Trade Research Initiative) in its report said that India needs to cut its reliance on imported vegetable oils to promote better health outcomes and also reduce the import bill. This will need educating consumers about the health benefits of using locally produced oils like mustard, groundnut, and rice bran in lieu of imported oils. India is the world's largest importer of vegetable oils, with imports estimated to double to USD 20.8 billion in 2023-24 from USD 10.8 billion in 2017-18. It added that the US and EU currently support agriculture by using the latest technology to maximise output, high tariffs (or import duties) to discourage imports and massive subsidies to push ...

Evaluating the Indian economy's resilience

A growth trajectory of 6.5 to 7.5 %, centred around 7 %, is reasonable in the coming years, barring the eventuality of simultaneous external shocks

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' .

'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

Strong quake in China that killed at least 148 cause losses worth millions

The strong earthquake that hit northwest China this week, killing at least 148 people, caused economic losses estimated to be worth tens of millions in the agricultural and fisheries industries, state media said Saturday. Officials in Gansu conducted preliminary assessments that showed the province's agricultural and fisheries industries have lost 532 million yuan (about USD 74.6 million), state broadcaster CCTV reported. Authorities were considering the best use of the relief fund, set up days before, for the agricultural sector to resume production as soon as possible, the report said. The magnitude 6.2 quake struck in a mountainous region Monday night between Gansu and Qinghai provinces and about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) southwest of Beijing, the Chinese capital. CCTV said 117 people were killed in Gansu and 31 others died in neighboring Qinghai, while three people remained missing. Nearly 1,000 were injured and more than 14,000 homes were destroyed. During a visit Saturday

India, Kenya ink 5 pacts, govt announces $250 mn LoC for Kenyan agri sector

India on Tuesday announced a USD 250 million line of credit to Kenya for modernisation of its agricultural sector as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto agreed to shore up bilateral ties in areas of defence, trade, energy, digital public infrastructure and healthcare. Following the Modi-Ruto talks, the two sides signed five pacts providing for cooperation in a range of areas including sports, education and digital solution, and unveiled a joint vision document to scale up maritime engagement in the Indian Ocean region. The Kenyan side offered, in line with Kenyan laws, to provide land to Indian companies and institutions for cultivation of crops, including millets. In order to enhance bilateral economic engagement as well as to finance projects under development partnership, the two leaders also discussed the need to use local currencies for trade. In his media statement, Modi said India has been a "reliable and committed" development partner for .

Tripura govt to bring 7K hectares under palm oil cultivation by 2026-27

The Tripura government has set a target of bringing 7000 hectares of land under palm oil cultivation by 2026-27 financial year, a senior minister has said. At present, palm oil plants are cultivated in 56.35 hectares of land in the northeastern state. "To expand palm oil cultivation in the state, digital mapping was done in 2020 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research. In the process, 1,46,364 hectares of land were identified in the state. "Of that, 7000 hectares of land would be brought under palm oil cultivation by 2026-27," Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath said. To tap the potential, the Agriculture department has signed MoUs with Godrej Agrovet Ltd and Patanjali Food Private Ltd under the National Mission on Edible Oil, he said. Nath said Godrej Agrovet Ltd has set up a nursery at Nalkata in Unakoti district. "Godrej Agrovet has also brought palm plants from Andhra Pradesh and planted them on 52.01 hectares of lan

ITC launches app to provide crop advisory, market access to Bengal farmers

ITC Limited on Wednesday launched a mobile application to provide crop advisory, market access and financial services to the farmers of West Bengal. ITC chairman Sanjiv Puri launched the ITCMAARS (Metamarket for Advanced Agriculture and Rural Services) application on the concluding day of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) here. He said the application, on which services would be available in Bengali, would offer world-class technologies and services to farmers in partnership with a large number of leading players in the agri sector, besides banks, institutes and technology firms. Puri said ITC aims to reach out to five lakh farmers over time. He said that ITC's agri business already has a significant presence in the state, where it works with nearly 1.7 lakh farmers, introducing new crop varieties, promoting crop development for enhancing quality and improvement in yield, besides providing advisory and other services.

Annapurna Swadisht gears up for 50% CAGR over next 4-5 years to Rs 1,000 cr

Annapurna Swadisht Ltd on Sunday said it aims to double revenue in 2023-24 to over Rs 300 crore and maintain a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of at least 50 per cent over the next 4-5 years. This ambitious growth for the food-focused FMCG company of East and Northeast India will be driven by increased market penetration and expansion into two major categories: biscuits and noodles, a senior company official said. To achieve this, the company has roped in GP Sah, the global CEO of the Nepal-based FMCG company that owns Wai Wai branded noodles, to steer the company into its next phase of growth. Annapurna's managing director, Shreeram Bagla, infused fresh talent into the company with the goal of reaching a topline of Rs 1,000 crore within 3-4 years from Rs 160 crore in FY'23. "A revival in rural demand, driven by greater distribution strategies and the addition of new categories like biscuits and noodles, will help Annapurna achieve robust growth in the coming years. "In FY'24 .

Nabard appoints Goverdhan Rawat, Ajay Kumar Sood as Dy Managing Directors

Rawat has over three decades of experience with NABARD, Ajay Kumar Sood served as the Chief General Manager of NABARD at the Himachal Pradesh Regional Office in Shimla

A new beginning

Startups are showing the way in gender diversity

Kothari Industrial sets up a drone division to serve agricultural lands

Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd, part of the DC Kothari Group, has set up a separate drone division to deploy drone technology in farmlands, the company said on Friday. Under this initiative, Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd has planned to work out a long-term sustainable strategy to reconfigure the agricultural landscape with the use of drones. KICL is likely to invest over Rs 150 crore into the drone division over the next few years, a company statement here said. "We have now embarked on a journey that seeks to combine innovation, sustainability and a commitment to revitalising the agricultural sector," said Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd Managing Director Jinnah Rafiq Ahmed. KICL has ventured into agricultural innovation with the introduction of a fleet of drones that have been designed to spray nano-urea in agricultural lands. Nano-urea effectively fulfills crop nitrogen requirements and increases leaf photosynthesis and root biomass, the company claimed in a ...

Swaminathan brought positive change to food security: Rakesh Tikait

India will always remember the positive changes that MS Swaminathan brought to the country's agriculture and farmers, and his contribution to food security, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said on Thursday, as he remembered the iconic scientist. Swaminathan (98), also known as the father of Green Revolution in India, passed away at 11.15 am at his Chennai residence, the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation said. "The news of the demise of famous agricultural scientist Dr MS Swaminathan, the father of the Green Revolution, is deeply saddening," Tikait, the national spokesperson for the Bharatiya Kisan Union, posted in Hindi on X. "This country will always remember his contribution to the positive changes to the condition of Indian agriculture and farmers, and for food security. We will all continue this fight for your ideas together," Tikait added. Swaminathan was the driving force behind the nation's Green Revolution of the 1960s. The celebrated agriculture icon was being treated for ..

Investments in Indian agri-tech startups fell 45% between FY22-FY23: Report

Investments in Indian agri-tech startups fell by 45 per cent between 2021-22 and 2022-23 fiscal years, primarily due to a hike in global interest rates and heightened investor caution amid rising uncertainty, reveals consulting firm FSG's new report. Meanwhile, global agri-tech investments declined by 10 per cent between calendar years 2022 and 2023, it said. Going forward, FSG expects the funding slump to continue into FY24 before springing back in FY25. It expects that startups will continue focusing on profitability to tide over the next financial year. "Investors are likely to continue being cautious and direct their limited funding towards established business models, such as follow-on funding for companies in the mid-stream agri-tech category," it said. Commenting on the trends identified by the firm, Rishi Agarwal, Managing Director, Head-Asia, FSG, said, "The shift in investment dynamics highlights the Indian agri-tech sector's sensitivity to global economic trends. Startup

Extreme weather turns up the heat on long-term investment in agriculture

Rising global temperatures threaten to damage crops that rely on predictable weather, which will likely lead to higher food prices

Decoded: What are essential components of 'National Strategy for Robotics'?

The draft NSR proposes a policy framework for the implementation of robotics in various sectors, with the aim of making India a global robotics leader by 2030

How plant sensors are improving Indian agriculture, checking waste

Sensors that monitor plant health, irrigation, nutrient use and weather are improving productivity, checking waste at farms and greenhouses

India's agri growth reaps harvest of rabi at 3.5% in June quarter

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its latest forecast released today though held out some hope

Neo-liberal policies cause for crisis in agriculture sector, says Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the agriculture sector and the farming community are going through tough times and blamed the neo-liberal policies being implemented in the country for the crisis. Despite all the difficulties, the LDF government in the state is adopting diverse measures to strengthen the agriculture sector, he said. Efforts should be made for further interventions to reach its benefits to maximum number of people, he wrote in his Facebook page on the occasion of the Malayalam new year Chingam today, which is considered auspicious by the Kerala people. 'Chingam 1' of the Malayalam calendar is also observed as Farmers' Day in the southern state to recognise the services rendered by peasants to the society. He said the beginning of the Malayalam month is an occasion to remember the state's rich agricultural heritage and legacy. The CM also stressed the need for evolving new projects in tune with the changing times for the prosperity of the farm