Page 21 - Agriculture

Rains likely to spell trouble for kharif acreage in India, shows data

The good news is that the areas under arhar, groundnut, soybean, and cotton are more than their five-year average

Paddy sowing increases 4.29% so far in 2024-25 kharif season: Report

Paddy acreage increased by 4.29 per cent to 39.42 million hectare so far in the ongoing 2024-25 kharif (summer) season, the agriculture ministry said on Tuesday. In the year-ago period, the area under paddy was 37.8 million hectare. Sowing of paddy, the main kharif crop, begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon in June, and harvesting takes place from October Additionally, the area sown to pulses increased to 12.21 million hectare till August 27 of the ongoing season against 11.55 million hectare in the same period last year, the ministry said in a statement. The coverage of 'arhar' rose to 4.57 million hectare from 4.07 million hectare. Arhar (tur) sowing has been completed. The area sown to 'urad' was 2.9 million hectare against 3.08 million hectare. The area under coarse cereals and 'Shree Anna' (millets) increased to 18.55 million hectare from 17.75 million hectare in the year-ago period. Among coarse cereals, the area under maize rose to 8.72 million hectare against 8

Uttar Pradesh government plans clusters to meet farm exports target

The state government plans to leverage the Centre's Rs 1,800 crore Clean Plant Programme to enhance the quality of horticultural exports

Sugar industry fears new norms likely to bring back old restrictions

Joint meeting of all associations to be convened to form a common response before September deadline

Arhar, maize, groundnut, soybean, sugarcane acreage top their normal levels

Easing maize supply woes would also benefit user industries like poultry feed, starch, and ethanol

Best of BS Opinion: An open bureaucracy, leveraging agri-tech and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Can maize maintain its newfound supremacy in ethanol production?

Some reports say the maize-based industry has demanded immediate imports of 5 million tonnes of duty-free imports to tide over the supply crunch

Govt plans 'tech' tonic to boost India's agricultural productivity

In the wake of climate change and the pressing need for sustainable agricultural practices, artificial intelligence-based solutions and geospatial technology can change India's agricultural landscape

Food, fuel, and timber: How bamboo is becoming 'green gold' for farmers

Bamboo cultivation with modern agronomic practices is proving more rewarding than many other crops, including the highly lucrative ones like sugarcane and cotton

AI push: Farmers reap better quality and yield, but challenges remain

The Indian govt is also promoting use of AI to help farmers increase their productivity

Centre launches new decision support system for agriculture sector

Krishi-DSS provides seamless access to comprehensive all-India data

Kharif sowing over in Rajasthan, all eyes on sky as rain may queer pitch

70% of guar comes from Rajasthan, rain may hit the crop

Tendu leaves' collection increases 20% this season in Chhattisgarh

The collection season in the state starts from the third week of April and continues till the second week of June

India's imports of pulses likely to decline in FY25 on good monsoon

Eminent agri economist Ashok Gulati says imports likely to double in the next 5 yrs if policies remain unchanged

Uttar Pradesh govt set to launch Rs 4,000 cr agriculture business project

The project is estimated to benefit a million farmers, including 30 per cent of the rural women associated with agri self help groups (SHGs)

EPA issues rare emergency ban on pesticide over fetal harm concerns

For the first time in roughly 40 years, the Environmental Protection Agency used its emergency authority to halt the sale of a weed-killing pesticide that harms the development of unborn babies. Officials took the rare step because the pesticide DCPA, or Dacthal, could cause irreversible damage to fetuses, including impaired brain development and low birthweight. The agency struggled to obtain vital health data from the pesticide's manufacturer on time and decided it was not safe to allow continued sale, EPA said in an announcement Tuesday. In this case, pregnant women who may never know they were exposed could give birth to babies that experience irreversible lifelong health problems, said Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. DCPA is mostly used on broccoli, cabbage and certain other crops and about 84,000 pounds were used on average in 2018 and 2020, officials said. In 2023, the EPA assessed the pesticide's risks

Centre to unilaterally release its share of crop insurance premium

Replying to a Parliament question, Chouhan said that earlier farmers had to wait for their claims unless both the Centre and states released their share of the premium subsidy

Kharif sowing up 2.3% at 81.18 million hectares from last year, shows data

Kharif sowing of all crops is over in almost 74 per cent of the normal area, which is the average area covered in the last five years

Centre extends sale of 'Bharat atta' and 'Bharat rice' at revised rates

The retail price for 'Bharat atta' and 'Bharat rice' has been revised for new stocks

Govt prepares for Rs 10,000 crore war chest to fight food inflation

Within the whole inflation basket, food inflation has been stubbornly high