Page 22 - Agriculture

Govt sells 7.1 mn tonnes wheat in open mkt to keep prices under control

The government on Wednesday said 71.01 lakh tonnes of wheat and 1.62 lakh tonnes of rice have been sold through auction so far in the open market to keep prices under control. "In order to increase the availability of wheat and rice in the open market and to control the prices of wheat and rice, the Government has been offloading wheat and rice in the market through weekly e-auction from June 28, 2023," an official statement said. A total of 101.5 lakh tonnes of wheat and 25 lakh tonnes of rice have been allocated by the central government for offloading under the Open Market Sale Scheme. Wheat is being offered at a reserve price of Rs 2,150 per quintal for Fair and Average Quality (FAQ) and Rs 2125 per quintal for Under Relaxed Specifications (URS). The reserve price of rice is being kept at Rs 2,900 per quintal. Till January 24, 2024, 71.01 LMT wheat has been sold under OMSS. The first e-auction of rice under OMSS for 2023-24 was held on July 5, 2023. Till January 24, 2024, 1.62

The Red Sea crisis: Imported fertilisers paint mixed price picture

Annual fertiliser subsidy would remain within the FY24 Budget estimate of Rs 1.75 trillion and could have been lower had the crisis not erupted

Shah launches Rs 225 cr projects to computerise ARDBs in cooperative sector

Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched computerisation programmes for agriculture and rural development banks and Registrar of Cooperative Societies at an estimated cost of Rs 225 crore and said the digitisation efforts will help improve efficiency, transparency and accountability in their working. The launch of computerisation projects for Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs) and Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCSs) of states and Union Territories was organised by Ministry of Cooperation in collaboration with National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). Shah said the projects will modernise and enhance the efficiency of the cooperative sector by bringing the entire cooperative ecosystem on a digital platform. "This will help in improving transparency and accountability in the cooperative sector," the minister said. Shah said the total cost of computerisation will be Rs 225 crore, of which Rs 95 crore would be spent on computerisation of ..

Minister Munda launches framework to promote carbon market in agri sector

Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda on Monday launched a framework to promote the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) in the farm sector and said this will encourage small and medium farmers to avail benefits of carbon credit. Introducing farmers to the carbon market will not only benefit them but also accelerate the adoption of environment-friendly agricultural practices, the minister said. He launched the 'Framework for Voluntary Carbon Market in Agriculture Sector' and 'Accreditation Protocol of Agroforestry Nurseries' here, according to an official statement. He requested cooperation from the ministries concerned of the Centre and the states and other organisations to promote the carbon market in the interest of farmers. "Global challenges like global warming are in front of all of us; hence we have to move ahead with caution," the minister said. Munda said the Accreditation Protocol of Agroforestry Nurseries will strengthen the institutional arrangements for the production and .

Cold snap helps India's wheat crop but warm weather forecasts pose risk

A long cold spell helped wheat during its vegetative growth, but a rise in temperatures, expected in the next few days, could impact the crop during the crucial grain formation stage

Budget 2024: A glance Budget 2023 announcements for agriculture sector

From welfare schemes to infrastructure & digital development, here are the highlights of Budget 2023 for the agricultural sector in India and the expectation for the Interim Budget 2024

Grow Indigo raises $8 mn to drive future of sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture company Grow Indigo on Sunday said it has raised over USD 8 million (around Rs 67 crore) in a funding round with a cumulative capital raise of more than USD 23 million (around Rs 191 crore) to date. The round saw interest from investors globally including participation from Indigo Ag, Mahyco and individuals and the fund raised will be utilised for driving the future of sustainable agriculture, the company said in a statement. Grow India is a joint venture between Indigo Ag and Mahyco that was formed in 2018. The company operates a carbon farming platform for smallholder farmers in India that includes four carbon programs across 13 states and cumulatively aims to reduce or remove emissions by 20 MT of CO2 annually from agriculture. About 8,00,000 acres have already been enrolled in the company's programs. "With sustainability at its core, we have now demonstrated adoption of biological inputs and carbon solutions at scale by farmers," Grow Indigo Executive .

Rice export rates hit record highs on dwindling supplies, firm demand

Traders noted that domestic supplies are accumulating, and that harvest has begun partially in the Mekong Delta, which is expected to peak in March

Robots for reducing manual efforts to nanotech cancer therapy: IISc

FSID at the Indian Institute of Science is witnessing a significant increase in terms of the number of applications of deep tech firms over the last few years

Govt may increase agri-credit target to Rs 22-25 trn in interim Budget

The government is likely to announce in the upcoming interim Budget a substantial increase in the agricultural credit target to Rs 22-25 lakh crore for the next fiscal and ensure every eligible farmer has access to institutional credit, according to sources. The government's agri-credit target is Rs 20 lakh crore for the current fiscal. Currently, the government provides interest subvention of two per cent on short term agri-loans of up to Rs 3 lakh for all financial institutions. This means farmers are getting a farm loan of up to Rs 3 lakh at a concessional rate of 7 per cent per annum. An additional interest subvention of 3 per cent per annum is also being provided to farmers who repay on time. Farmers can also avail long term loans but interest rate is as per the market rate. For the 2024-25 fiscal, there could be a sharp increase in the agri-credit target to Rs 22-25 lakh crore, sources said. According to the sources, there is more focus on agri-credit and the government is .

Survival and growth of FPOs

The advantages of the FPOs have been borne out and quantified by a study conducted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) in 2020-21 and 2021-22

Rabi, fruit farmers in Himachal stare at losses amid prolonged dry spell

The prolonged dry spell in Himachal Pradesh coupled with a warm winter this year has left the Rabi farmers staring at losses as the harsh weather could harm crop growth. Further, the apple orchards are also getting deprived of the required moisture and chilling hours. On Saturday, the minimum temperatures surged across the state and stayed 3-10 degrees Celsius above normal as the dry spell continued, leaving the farmers of Rabi crop, including wheat, worried. This dry spell has come as another blow to the state's farmers who already suffered massive losses due to excess rains and flash floods during the monsoon last year. Farmer said Rabi crops sown in rainfed areas during November have withered owing to the dry spell. "The rabi crops in Darlaghat and surrounding villages have got damaged and the situation is same in other villages of the district," said Kanshi Ram, a marginal farmer of Khatta village in Darlaghat. The apple plantation had been poor in 2023 and if dry weather ...

Non-GM mustard yield only a little higher than GM mustard: Coalition

The coalition said that the Union of India presented a new paper with regard to the Centre of Origin of Brassica juncea being outside India

Govt eyes doubling cash handout for women farmers ahead of Lok Sabha polls

The plan is likely to be announced in the budget on Feb. 1 and could cost the government an additional Rs 12,000 crore, said two of sources, all of whom declined to be named discussing budget proposal

Attaining self-sufficiency

More interventions needed to boost pulses output

ATM agriculture requires imagination

In this agriculture, conventional science is turned upside down

Farmers plan Delhi march on Feb 13 to press for minimum support price

The agitation, which comes weeks before the country enters into the 2024 General Elections mode, could have major political ramifications

Farmers' bodies organise 'mahapanchayat', demand MSP guarantee law

Samyukta Kisan Morcha and 18 farmer unions on Saturday organised a "mahapanchayat" here demanding the enactment of a law guaranteeing minimum support price for crops and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report. The gathering of farmers from across north India also announced a "Delhi Chalo" march to the national capital on February 13. "We are demanding the enactment of a law to guarantee MSP, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report according to the C2 (comprehensive cost of production) plus 50 per cent formula and loan waiver of farmers and labourers," Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Sidhupur) chief Jagjit Singh Dalewal said. In its 2006 report, the National Commission on Farmers' chairman M S Swaminathan suggested the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices to fix MSP at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production. The farmers also demanded justice for the victims of the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, 2021

Global food prices post the biggest annual drop since 2015, shows data

An index of food-commodity prices created by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization fell about 10 per cent in 2023, according to data released on Friday.

Wheat output may touch record 114 mn tonnes in 2023-24 provided normal temp

Wheat production is expected to touch a new record of 114 million tonnes in the ongoing 2023-34 crop year on higher coverage and provided weather conditions remain normal, a top food ministry official said on Wednesday. The last leg of sowing of wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, is underway and will continue till next week. Till last week, wheat was planted in 320.54 lakh hectares, as per the official data. Wheat production stood at a record 110.55 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), compared to 107.7 million tonnes achieved in the previous year. "We expect that total area under cultivation of wheat will increase this year and God willingly if the climate is alright the production will be 114 million tonne that's what the agriculture ministry has indicated informally to us," Food Corporation of India (FCI) Chairman and Managing Director Ashok K Meena told reporters. Area sown to wheat crop is also showing an increase compared to the last year. There was a deficit