Page 23 - Agriculture

IPL Biologicals to set up facility in Gujarat with Rs 400 crore investment

Agro biological company IPL Biologicals on Wednesday said it has inked a pact with the Gujarat government to set up a facility with an investment of Rs 400 crore. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government agency, Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission, in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. It seeks to set up "a state-of-the-art biofertilisers, bio pesticides, biofungicide, microbial growth promoter facility in the region," the company said in a statement. "The investment of Rs 400 crore underscores IPL's commitment to promoting eco-friendly farming practices and enhancing soil and environmental health," it said. The company believes the MoU with the state government aligns with the national goal of adopting organic and sustainable practices by 2030, the statement said. Its new facility will contribute to sustainable agriculture, it added. "The major focus of the first phase of production will be on...agriculture products, followed by ...

Agriculture exports relying on 5 items make sector volatile: 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. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that 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 the country's 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 banned from India and the country is also fighting at the WTO (World Trade Organisation) to protect subsidies to rice and whea

PM-KUSUM: Baton handed to states to customise agriculture-solar goals

Scheme likely to go off-Budget as targets linked to discom reforms

Urea, DAP fertilizers availability comfortable in ongoing rabi season: Govt

The availability of two key fertilisers, urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), has remained comfortable during the ongoing 2023-24 rabi season, Parliament was informed on Friday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Bhagwanth Khuba said about 132.77 lakh tonne of urea has been made available for the October-December period of the ongoing rabi season, which is higher than the requirement of 91.05 lakh tonne for the same period. Total urea requirement for the entire 2023-24 rabi season is pegged at 185.41 lakh tonne, he said. Even the availability of DAP has remained comfortable in the country during the ongoing rabi 2023-24 season, he added. The minister also mentioned that there is no such report of artificial demand/shortage of urea that has come to its notice. Urea and DAP are two widely used fertilisers in the country. Currently, sowing of rabi crops like wheat and pulses is underway. Sowing begins from October and harvesting fro

Agriculture to play important role in development trajectory: NITI VC

Agriculture will play a central role in India's development trajectory as strong rural demand supports manufacturing and economic revival, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery said on Wednesday. According to an official statement, the Aayog and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) signed a Statement of Intent (SoI), aiming to fortify policy and programme frameworks contributing to India's development objectives. "In India's development trajectory, agriculture will play a central role", the statement said, quoting Bery. Bery said increasing productivity of agriculture, coupled with a shift towards natural and soil-friendly practices, is crucial. "Strong rural demand supports manufacturing and economic revival and is critical for India's transformation over the next 25 years," he said. Speaking at the event, Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said the SoI will lead to collaborative work between the government think tank and IFPRI that can generate new insights into th

China challenge for Indian agrichemicals firm PI Industries

The positive from PI Industries' perspective is the diversification of its revenue base into pharmaceuticals

Is MGNREGA work demand real sign of distress or problem lies elsewhere?

In FY23, around 87.5 million people worked under the scheme, according to the MGNREGA website. Till December 12 in FY24, approximately 72.6 million people had worked under the scheme

Centre aims for onion prices to drop below Rs 40 per kilogram by January

Justifying the ban, Consumer Affairs Secretary also noted that other major onion-producing nations, such as Egypt and Turkey, have banned exports, putting pressure on the Indian crop

Will ensure farmers don't face losses due to onion export ban: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said his government will find a way so that farmers do not suffer losses due to the ban on export of onions. Shinde visited his Shiv Sena party office in the Vidhan Bhavan premises in Nagpur ahead of the third day of the state legislature's winter session here. The Centre has banned onion exports till March 31, 2024, to increase domestic availability and keep prices in check. Speaking to reporters on the issue, Shinde said the state government always stands with farmers of the state. The CM said he had a telephonic conversation with Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal on the onion issue. "We will find out a way so that farmers and customers do not face losses due to the ban on export of onions," Shinde said. On the issue of ban on the use of sugarcane juice and sugar syrup for ethanol production, the CM said the government representatives will meet Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah ov

Govt extends export ban on de-oiled rice bran till March-end 2024

The government has extended the export ban on de-oiled rice bran, a major ingredient in preparation of cattle and poultry feed, till March 31 next year, according to a notification. It was first banned in July this year. "Export prohibition of de-oiled rice bran is extended till March 31, 2024," the directorate general of foreign trade has said in a notification. According to experts, rise of prices of the feed is one of the major reasons for increasing milk prices in the country and putting a ban on the exports can help increase availability of the product in the domestic market, thereby containing rates. However, Solvent Extractors Association of India had earlier asked the government to reconsider its decision on banning the exports as the move is likely to have minimal impact on the prices of cattle feed and milk. As per estimates, in cattle feed, about 25 per cent rice bran extraction is used.

Government approves 100% packaging of food grains in diversified jute bags

The reservation norms in present proposal would further protect the interest of domestic production of raw jute and jute packaging material in India

Agricultural activities hit in Manipur due to ethnic violence: Govt

Agricultural activities could not be undertaken in 5,127 hectares in Manipur due to ethnic violence, and the Centre has given a Rs 38.60 crore compensatory package to provide relief to affected farmers, Parliament was informed Friday. It was part of the special package of Rs 209.45 crore sanctioned by the Union Home Ministry to the Manipur government, the agriculture ministry said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. "As per the information received from the Manipur government, agricultural activities could not be initiated in about 5,127 hectares of land due to ethnic violence," the ministry said. The Centre has approved "a special package of Rs 209.45 crore to the Government of Manipur. This includes compensatory package for farmers affected by ongoing law and order crisis amounting to Rs 38.60 crore," it added.

Promise of higher MSP in Assembly polls: That's easier said than done

If states have to fall in line with MSPs declared by political parties, they will have to do so in violation of this central order or bear the full expense of the surplus procured at above MSP rates

Punjab expecting bumper paddy yield despite kharif season marred by floods

Punjab is expecting a bumper output of paddy crop despite kharif season 2023-24 being marred by floods during July and August, officials said. The state, known as the food bowl of the country, is expecting paddy output to cross 205 lakh metric tonne with an average yield going up by more than four quintal per hectare as compared to last year. We are anticipating the paddy production to cross 205 lakh MT this year, said Punjab Agriculture department Director Jaswant Singh. The state had achieved 205 lakh MT output in 2022-23. It had achieved the highest output of 208 lakh MT in 2020-21. The latest crop cutting experiments conducted by the state agriculture department ensure the state's average yield at 69.39 quintal per hectare, which is 4.60 quintal more than the yield achieved last year. The increase in paddy yield comes despite the state seeing floods in July and August this year. The floods had wreaked havoc in many districts including Patiala, Sangrur, Rupnagar, Jalandhar, ...

Wheat sowing still tad down; mustard acreage more than last year

While the acreage drop in Bihar could be due to delayed harvest of paddy, the fall in area in Rajasthan as compared to last year might be due to reporting delays because of polls

Winter in India may be less severe this year due to El Nino, says IMD

India's avg max and min temperatures in November third highest since 1901

Rain brings joy to Rajasthan farmers, to expedite sowing of rabi crops

Rabi crops have been sown in over 84.55 lakh hectares, so far, much below the target of 1.17 crore hectares

Crops on 100k hectares damaged by unseasonal rains in Maharashtra, says CM

Nearly 1 lakh hectares of land under cultivation in different parts of Maharashtra has been adversely affected due to unseasonal rains over the last few days, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said, citing preliminary assessment. Two persons have died in rain-related incidents in Nashik district in north Maharashtra, a senior official said. Affected farmers will get compensation for crop losses caused by unseasonal rains, the CM said. "Authorities have been directed to conduct 'panchnama' (survey) of the damaged crops and affected farmers should be paid adequate compensation," Shinde told reporters in his political turf of Thane on Monday. He said preliminary information suggests that nearly 1 lakh hectares of land under cultivation in Marathwada, Vidarbha and north Maharashtra regions was affected due to untimely showers. "This is the government of farmers and workers. The government will always stand behind these classes," the chief minister said. The first estimate report prepa

Amid supply crunch, price of Kashmir apples zooms 50% to a decadal high

The prices of Grade-A apples have doubled in the past year in Sopore, Asia's second-largest fruit market

Wheat sowing down 5% so far in ongoing rabi season at 8.6 mn hectares

Area under coverage for wheat has fallen 5 per cent to 86.02 lakh hectares so far in the ongoing rabi (winter-sown) season, according to the agriculture ministry data. The sowing area of wheat stood at 91.02 lakh hectares in the same period last year. "About 86.02 lakh hectares area coverage has been reported compared to 91.02 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year. Thus 5.01 lakh hectare less area has been covered compared to last year," the ministry said. Area under coverage for wheat is so far lower in Uttar Pradesh (3.87 lakh hectares), Punjab (2.28 lakh hectares), Haryana (2.14 lakh hectares) and Gujarat (0.71 lakh hectares). The higher wheat area is reported mainly from Madhya Pradesh (3.44 lakh hectare) and Rajasthan (0.68 lakh hectare). The government has banned exports of wheat and is offloading wheat in the open market from its buffer stock to boost domestic supply and control retail prices of wheat and atta (wheat flour). As per the data, paddy acrea