Page 2 - Agriculture

Statewide expansion of digital fertiliser sale system to aid farmers

The system was launched to ensure timely, easy availability of fertilisers to farmers based on their actual needs and to curb black marketing, hoarding, and irregular distribution effectively.

Kharif sowing reaches near-2025 levels, just 1.5% lower till August 21

According to the latest data, till August 21, 2026, kharif crops were sown on around 105.67 million hectares of land, which was just 1.5 per cent less than in the same period last year.

Govt blames Red Rot, Top Borer disease, waterlogging for sugar price rise

No ethanol link to sugar price rise; millers jacking up rates, says govt

El Niño unlikely to hurt kharif production much: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Chouhan said that integrated farming systems and models based on local resources should be developed to enhance farmers' incomes, urging officials to set clear goals and implement concrete roadmaps

Paddy acreage down 3.65% on deficient rains in Karnataka, Jharkhand, Maha

Sowing of kharif crops, which typically picks up with the onset of the southwest monsoon in June, was delayed this year on account of El Nino conditions.

Agriculture-only Discoms: What Telangana, Maharashtra, Haryana are changing

Telangana and Maharashtra are separating agricultural consumers and their associated finances from existing distribution companies. Haryana has proposed a similar model

Drones take the field in Indian agriculture as services expand for farmers

Driven by on-demand models, startups and government programmes are making the tech accessible and affordable for farmers

Odisha Cabinet approves ₹12,458 cr to expand irrigation coverage by FY31

The Parbati Giri Mega Lift Irrigation Project will create additional irrigation potential of 262,275 hectares through 161 schemes across all districts of Odisha

AgriStack DPI to plug gaps in data collection system, says government

To overhaul the system, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare approved the DAM for the creation of a DPI to enable a robust digital agriculture ecosystem in the country.

Kharif sowing gap narrows; UBS discounts sharp decline in rural demand

Jain said overall, the group expects rural demand to remain more resilient than in previous episodes of monsoon-related stress, even as growth moderates from current levels

Kharif sowing gains momentum in Rajasthan as monsoon rainfall revives

Data showed that by July 9, sowing had reached 61 per cent of the target for coarse cereals, 58 per cent for pulses, 60 per cent for oilseeds and 56 per cent for other crops

Odisha to launch 5 food parks, target ₹10,000 cr investment at Delhi summit

The state will unveil five new food parks at the Odisha Food Pro 2026 summit in New Delhi as it seeks Rs 10,000 crore in investments and over 20,000 jobs

TN introduces carbon trading for farmers, launches ₹600 cr soil mission

Facing severe climate uncertainties, including the anticipated Super El Nino phenomenon, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday rolled out a series of climate-resilient initiatives in its Agriculture budget 2026-27, featuring a carbon trading scheme for farmers and a multi-year soil restoration drive. Presenting the budget, Tamil Nadu Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare R Vinoth allocated Rs 60 lakh to launch demonstration projects across 2,000 acres and develop monitoring and verification protocols for carbon trading. Under the scheme, farmers will be enabled to earn supplementary income through carbon credits by adopting existing sustainable cultivation methods, specifically emission-reducing practices such as Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) and Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation techniques. These established cultivation practices are estimated to cut greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 50 per cent while promoting carbon sequestration in agricultural soils, the .

Govt links nearly 102.8 mn Farmer IDs to PM-KISAN, procurement platforms

In a written reply in Parliament, MoS for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur said the integration is meant to ensure effective service delivery to farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers

Pilot fertiliser distribution platform rolled out in 56 districts: Govt

A new digital platform to ensure more transparent and farmer-centric fertiliser distribution has been implemented on a pilot basis in 56 districts across 23 states so far, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. The new platform 'Framework for Fertilizer Sale' has been jointly developed by Fertiliser and Agriculture Ministries with consent from the state governments. It is implemented in a "staggered pilot manner, with the objective of making the fertiliser distribution system more transparent, organised, farmer-centric, land and crop data integrated and demand driven", Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. Under the proposed arrangement, farmers or their authorised representatives will register through a mobile application and enter land and crop-related details for advance booking (pre-booking) of fertiliser requirements. Upon successful booking of fertilisers, a QR code-based token shall be generated. This QR code

New urea policy revives self-reliance push, but demand keeps racing ahead

The Centre's new investment policy could attract up to Rs 1 trillion into urea production, but rising demand, subsidy distortions and weak private participation may keep India reliant on imports

Best of BS Opinion: States must reduce debt in face of redemption pressures

From mounting state debt and agricultural research to public asset monetisation, China-linked investment and Tim Berners-Lee's vision for reclaiming the open web

Agricultural research needs greater funding to sustain long-term growth

Agricultural extension, which carries innovations from laboratories to farmers' fields, yields ₹7.40 for every rupee invested

Kharif sowing gap with last year narrows further during week ended July 24

Gaps in the area under all crops - oilseeds, pulses, soybean, groundnut, urad, moong and maize - narrowed compared to the previous week

No proposal for one-time waiver of loans of small, marginal farmers: Govt

The government has no proposal for a one-time waiver of loans of small and marginal farmers, Parliament was informed on Monday. To provide relief to borrowers in distress, the Reserve Bank of India has issued Master Direction on Resolution of Stressed Assets, 2025 dated November 28, 2025 (updated as on July 1, 2026) which provides lenders the discretion to undertake financial restructuring of borrowers under stress, based on their Board approved policies and regulatory guidelines, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. "No proposal for one-time waiver of loans of small and marginal farmers is currently under consideration with the Union government," he said in reply to a question whether the government proposes to consider a one-time waiver or restructuring of loans to small and marginal farmers. Replying to another question, Chaudhary said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had sent a proposal to the government in terms of Section 25 o