Page 25 - Agriculture

Academic institutions agree to form agri-consortium to boost startups

India's higher educational institutions on Wednesday agreed in principle to create an 'Agri-Consortium' to give a push to startups in the agriculture sector. An in-principle framework in this regard was adopted by participating higher educational institutions (HEIs) during the 'Agri-Entrepreneurship in South Asia' Consortium-2023 that concluded at the Indian Institute of Management, Kashipur, on Wednesday. The two-day event was aimed at providing a common platform for academicians, researchers, students, and industry professionals to interact and deliberate on the latest trends and advancements in technology, research, funding avenues and requirements in the agriculture industry, an IIM Kashipur press release here said. The HEIs agreed to share startup databases among consortium members, disseminate startup support programmes, and networking, and share best practices on the platform. The event was organised by the Foundation for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development (FIED), an

India exporting 75,000 tonnes non-basmati white rice to UAE via NCEL

The government on Monday cleared exports of 75,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to the UAE through National Cooperative Exports Ltd (NCEL). Though there is a ban on rice exports, India is shipping rice to friendly and neighbouring countries on their request to meet their food security demands. "Export of 75,000 MT of Non-Basmati White Rice (under HS code 1006 30 90) to UAE is permitted through NCEL, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. Earlier, the government permitted the export of broken rice to Senegal (5 lakh tonnes), Gambia (5 lakh tonnes), Indonesia (2 lakh tonnes), Mali (1 lakh tonnes), and Bhutan (48,804 tonnes). The government has also allowed exports of non-basmati rice to Bhutan (79,000 tonnes), Mauritius (14,000 tonnes) and Singapore (50,000 tonnes) through the NCEL. On September 9 last year, the government banned the export of broken rice to check rising retail prices and boost domestic supply. On July 20, it banned exports of .

Farmers' income doubled mainly due to govt's aroma mission: CSIR DG

Farmers' income more than doubled primarily due to the government's 'aroma mission', CSIR Director-General N Kalaiselvi said on Monday. Addressing the media on the preparations of 82nd Council of Scientific & Industrial Research Foundation Day celebration on Tuesday, Kalaiselvi said the CSIR has been working towards doubling farmers income and under the aroma mission of CSIR, "farmers' income has increased to the tune of 2.5 times". The 'aroma mission', also known as Purple Revolution, began in Jammu and Kashmir and aims to generate rural employment for farmers engaged in cultivation in aromatic crops. The mission's objective is to spur entrepreneurship in the manufacturing of aromatic oils and other aromatic products, and to lower import of essential and aromatic oils. Kalaiselvi said lemongrass exports have increased 600 times under the Purple Revolution. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the event, she said under the mission, farmers have been not just provided with seeds and

Govt extends time period for stock limits on tur, urad by 2 months

The government on Monday extended the time period for existing stock limits on tur and urad by two months till December 31 this year and revised the stock holding limits for certain entities. As per the notification issued by the Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry, the stock limits for wholesalers and big chain retailers at the depot have been reduced from 200 tonne to 50 tonne each. The stock limit for millers has also been reduced from the last 3 months' production, or 25 per cent of annual capacity, whichever is higher, to the last one-month production, or 10 per cent of annual capacity, whichever is higher. "The revision in stock limits and extension of the time period is to prevent hoarding and elicit the continuous release of tur and urad in sufficient quantities to the market and make tur dal and urad dal available at affordable prices for the consumers," the ministry said in a statement. As per the latest order, stock limits have been prescribed for tur and urad until Decem

SKUAST launches agricultural-entrepreneurship startup training programme

The Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) on Monday launched a skill training programme for creating the next generation of agri-entrepreneurs in Jammu and Kashmir. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has granted 550 skill training programmes to SKUAST for implementation in the current year, officials said. "We have to take our farming community from subsistence agriculture to sustainable commercial agriculture. We have to strive to achieve the goal set by the JK government to double the agricultural GDP in the next five years," Vice chancellor of the SKAUST Nazir Ahmad Ganaie told reporters. Last year the university implemented 66 skilling programmes. He said it is important that the country shifts toward startup culture as India is emerging as a big startup ecosystem in the world. "The universities have a very important role to play in bringing Jammu and Kashmir on the startup ecosystem map of the country," he added. S

NTT Communications leads to significant CO2 reduction in agriculture

Based on collaboration with Yanmar Holdings, this project is moving forward. It is well known for its agricultural equipment and facilities. The project aims to get advantageous carbon credits

Punjab to give 24,000 crop residue management machines for coming season

The Punjab Agriculture Department will provide 24,000 crop residue management machines in the coming harvesting season to check stubble burning incidents in the state, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Wednesday. Khudian said the department has received as many as 1,58,394 applications from farmers to avail subsidy for Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery. He said the department will provide Super SMS, happy seeder, paddy straw chopper, mulcher, smart seeder, zero till drill, surface seeder, super seeder, crop reaper, shrub master for in-situ management (mixing crop residue in fields) and baler and straw rake for ex-situ management (using stubble as fuel) of the paddy residue. During the last year, the state was able to reduce stubble-burning cases by 30 per cent, he said. The department had prepared a Rs 350 crore action plan for providing CRM on subsidy for the 2023 Kharif season. The applications for availing subsidy were invited via an online portal to ensu

Rajasthan govt charts plan for export promotion of agricultural commodities

The state is one of the top producers of mustard, moth beans, bajra, guar, and Isabgol

The unfinished job of farm mechanisation

The current level of farm mechanisation in India, reckoned officially at 47 per cent, is far lower than the 60 per cent in China and 75 per cent in Brazil

Pilot project of residue-free basmati being undertaken: Punjab Minister

The Punjab government has undertaken a pilot project under which residue-free basmati crop has been cultivated in Chogawan block in Amritsar district, state agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Sunday. Residue-free practice entails minimal or no usage of chemicals. The initiative is aimed at promoting organic farming in the state as desired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, said the minister. The Chogawan block is popular for growing quality basmati rice. "Basmati rice has a great export potential as most of the grains produced in the region are being exported to the European and Middle-Eastern countries," said Khudian, while adding that presently, basmati rice is exported to more than 60 countries. Amritsar district alone contributed rice exports of around Rs 9,000 crore last year, he added. To increase the export potential of basmati rice from Punjab, Khudian stated that the state agriculture department has also launched an awareness campaign to sensitise far

EU ends restrictions on Ukraine's agri exports, Zelenskyy welcomes move

In his nightly address on Friday, Zelenskyy said, "Now, it is important that European unity works on a bilateral level - with the neighbours."

Area under millets except bajra lower than last year this season

Jowar, along with bajra and ragi, constitutes almost 70 per cent of the millets produced in the country

Paddy area up 2.71% so far in kharif season, pulse acreage down slightly

Area sown to paddy rose 2.71 per cent to 409.41 lakh hectare so far in the current kharif season, while sowing is underway in a few places, according to agriculture ministry data released on Friday. Paddy-sowing area was 398.58 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. In the kharif season of the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), sowing begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June and harvesting from October. According to the data, area coverage of paddy, coarse cereals, and sugarcane remained higher as so far this kharif season from the year-ago period. Acreage of pulses, oilseeds, jute and mesta and cotton lagged behind, it showed. Coarse cereals acreage rose marginally to 183.11 lakh hectare as on September 15 as against 181.48 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. However, area sown to pulses remained lower at 121 lakh hectare so far this season, as against 127.57 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Area under oilseeds, too, remained marginally lower at 192.20 lakh hectare

Tea cos to witness 8% fall in revenue on decline in exports: Crisil Ratings

The tea industry is likely to witness an 8 per cent year-on-year decline this fiscal due to decreasing export volume following the rise in supply from Sri Lanka, a report said on Friday. The operating profitability of the industry will fall for the second year in a row, shedding 100 basis points (bps) to 5 per cent due to lower realisation, Crisil Ratings said in a report. Profitability had fallen 150 bps last fiscal, primarily because of an increase in wages, the report said, adding that in FY23, wages that constitute 20 per cent of total input cost were hiked by 15 per cent. However, low leverage and negligible capital expenditure (capex) will keep credit profiles stable, the report stated. The tea industry will report 8 per cent year-on-year degrowth in revenue this fiscal, led by a decline in export volume, the agency said. "Domestic demand, which accounts for 82 per cent of sales volume, should remain steady at 1,100 million kg this fiscal. However, exports, which make up 18

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

Pulses prices stabilise as rains revive over major growing states

Centre tightens stock limit on wheat; says no shortage of sugar stocks

Govt further cuts stock limit on wheat traders, retailers amid price rise

The government on Thursday further reduced the stock limit on wheat traders, wholesalers and big chain retailers to 2,000 tonnes from 3,000 tonnes with immediate effect amid uptick in prices. Announcing the decision, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said: "Keeping in view of recent uptick in the prices, we have had a review of the stock limits and effective today the stock limit on traders, wholesalers and big chain retailers stand reduced to 2000 tonne." Three months back on June 12, the government had imposed a stock limit of 3,000 tonnes on these wheat players till March 2024. The stock limit has been reduced to 2,000 tonnes as the government found there is an "an uptick in the wheat prices on the NCDEX by 4 per cent to Rs 2,550 per quintal in the past one month." "Although there is adequate availability of wheat in the country, I think there are some elements which are trying to create some artificial scarcity," Chopra told reporters.

Tea auction system not helping in optimum price discovery in N India: CTTA

Tea producers have opined that the new Bharat auction system introduced in North India from April this year is not helping in the discovery of optimum prices of the brew. According to Tea Board data, average price realisation in North India from April to July in 2023-24 was lower at Rs 205.10 per kilogramme as compared to Rs 220.74 per kilogramme in the same period of 2022-23, when auctions were conducted using the English system. The Bharat auction system was introduced in Kolkata, Guwahati and Siliguri from April this year replacing old the English auction system. Anish Bhansali, immediate past chairman of Calcutta Tea Traders Association (CTTA), which provides the auction platform in Kolkata, said "the English auction system was better for the users. He said the auction prices have been lower in the current year because of the poor demand conditions. "At the end of the day, the issue boils down to the question of demand and supply. Having said that, I feel the English auction ..

Meet Lahari Bai | India's Millets Ambassador

Meet Lahari Bai, India's Millets Ambassador. From her humble abode in Silpidi, she safeguards a treasure: a seed bank, a 'doomsday vault', protecting over 150 indigenous millet varieties >

Cut in import duty on US apples will ruin J&K's fruit industry: Congress

Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Vikar Rasool Wani on Wednesday said that the cut in duty on apples, walnuts and apricots being imported by India from the US will ruin the fruit industry in the Union Territory. Wani demanded immediate withdrawal of the central government order. "It is a serious concern to all of us that the Modi government has taken a decision to reduce import duty on apples, walnuts and apricots being imported from the United States to India, from 70 per cent to 15 per cent. It will destroy the economy of apple growers of Jammu and Kashmir who will be worst hit along with the apple fruit growers of Himachal Pradesh," he told reporters in Banihal. The Congress leader questioned the Centre's decision which he claimed was taken to detriment of local orchardists of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. He said that fruit growers in both regions have suffered immensely for different reasons in the past and the latest duty cut will spell their doom. Wani said t