Page 32 - Agriculture

India's farming input inflation saw marginal dip in last few months

WPI-based food inflation remained subdued since November last year, but rose in July, higher than the consumer price index inflation at 11.51 per cent

Crop protection companies to reap bumper Q2 harvest after dismal Q1

Global agrochemical business expected to remain subdued throughout CY23

Area under paddy up 4.4%, pulses down 8.3% this kharif season: Govt

Area under paddy crop increased by 4.4 per cent to 384.05 lakh hectares so far in the ongoing kharif season despite a lag in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture on Friday. However, pulse acreage was down 8.30 per cent at 117.44 lakh hectares as on August 25 as against 128.07 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Tur, urad and moong acreage, too, remained lower. Kharif (summer) sowing begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon in June, while harvesting starts in October. Paddy is the main kharif crop as more than 80 per cent of the total rice production is grown during this season. "We are quite comfortable in paddy area coverage. Sowing is still underway and the window is till September 15," Agriculture Commissioner P K Singh told PTI. Paddy acreage has increased to 384.05 lakh hectares as of August 25 in the ongoing kharif season as against 367.83 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Maximum increase in paddy coverage was

Phagwara farmers suspend dharna after payment assurances from admin

Farmers under the banner of Bharti Kisan Union (Doaba) Thursday suspended their sit-in protest after the district administration here gave assurances to get cane dues amounting Rs 43 crore cleared from a local sugar mill. Farmers on Wednesday had staged a dharna here to protest against the alleged delay in the clearance of sugarcane dues pending with the private sugar mill. Phagwara sub-divisional magistrate Jai Inder Singh said that the administration would sell the properties of the sugarmill for clearing the cane dues. We have already identified 3-4 such properties and served notices to their owners, he informed. After the SDM's assurance, BKU (D) general secretary Satnam Singh Sahni suspended the dharna. On Wednesday, Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian had directed deputy commissioner of Kapurthala Karnail Singh to identify all properties of the Phagwara mill so that the same could be sold to make payments to the cane farmers.

NCRTC conducts training camps to educate farmers on modern techniques

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) on Wednesday organised skill development training camps in the districts of Ghaziabad and Meerut to educate farmers on modern agricultural techniques, officials said. Under the training programme, a team of agricultural experts is teaching the farmers new methods of modern agriculture. The initial phase of the programme is being implemented in villages such as Bhud Baral, Khadarabad, Nangla Moosa, Asalat Nagar, Kakra, Sahapur, Sara, Kanoja, and Sikrikurt in Ghaziabad and Meerut districts. The programme has been initiated to raise awareness, enhance skills and provide training to modern farmers on the latest agricultural techniques, the NCRTC said. "As a part of the training programme, farmers were also guided on how to increase their earnings via hydroponics (a technique to grow plants using water-based nutrient solution instead of soil) and protected cultivation techniques," an official of the NCRTC said. The official said

Drone tech in agriculture set to boost rural economy in Uttar Pradesh

The government is facilitating the training of drone pilots to cater to the growing demand for drones in the state

Paddy sowing rises 4.3% in ongoing kharif season, shows govt data

The area under coverage for paddy has increased 4.33 per cent to 360.79 lakh hectares across the country in the ongoing kharif season as the lag in sowing narrowed in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, and Karnataka, according to official data released on Friday. Paddy, the main kharif crop, was sown in 345.79 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. About 80 per cent of the country's rice is grown during the kharif season, which is generally from June to September. As per the data from the agriculture ministry for the ongoing kharif season till August 18, paddy was sown in 24.80 lakh hectares in Odisha, 0.43 lakh hectares less that the year-ago period. Similarly, it was sown in 16.61 lakh hectares in Assam, down by 0.61 lakh hectares from the year-ago period. Paddy-sowing areas in Andhra Pradesh were at 8.29 lakh hectares till August 18, down by 1.53 lakh hectares from the same period of the previous year. However, pulse sowing was lagging behind as coverage was at 114.92 lakh hectares

Delhi Cong meets LG, seeks uniform circle rate for all agricultural lands

A delegation of Delhi Congress leaders Thursday met Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and demanded the implementation of a uniform circle rate for all agricultural lands in the national capital. The party also alleged that there is a "conspiracy" behind the new circle rates. On August 7, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal approved an increase in circle rates of agricultural land and those adjacent to the Yamuna barrage. Previously, agricultural lands across Delhi had a uniform circle rate and they have now been delineated on a district basis. Handing a letter to the LG, a four-member Congress delegation, including Devendra Yadav and Anil Bharadwaj, alleged that the proposal for different circle rates has caused "dissatisfaction among the farmers of Delhi". "This proposed circle rate has become the subject of discussion and there is great dissatisfaction among the farmers of Delhi. We believe that the circle rate of agricultural lands should be uniform," the letter read. The Delhi .

Punjab to provide 22,000 straw management machines for 2023 Kharif season

The Punjab government plans to provide more than 22,000 crop residue management machines on subsidy under a Rs 350-crore action plan for the 2023 Kharif season to check stubble burning incidents in the state, said a senior official. Under the paddy straw management plan, the state agriculture department is also targeting zero-stubble burning incidents in seven districts Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, Mohali, SBS Nagar and Malerkotla and 50 per cent reduction in stubble fire cases in Patiala, Sangrur, Faridkot and Muktsar districts, said the official. In the 2022 Kharif season, Punjab had seen a 30 per cent drop in stubble-burning incidents to 49,907 from 71,304 in 2021. "We have an action plan of Rs 350 crore for the paddy straw management," said Punjab Agriculture Director Gurwinder Singh. Under this action for paddy straw management, around 21,000 machines for in-situ management (mixing crop residue in fields) and 1,800 balers for ex-situ (using stubble as fuel) will

Over 400,000 hectares brought under natural farming in 8 states: Govt

About 4.09 lakh hectares have been brought under natural farming in eight states with Andhra Pradesh leading the group, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in Parliament on Tuesday. The eight states are Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Tamil Nadu, the minister said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The Centre is promoting natural farming since 2019-20 through a sub-scheme, Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP), under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana. "So far, 4.09 lakh hectare area has been brought under natural farming in 8 states," Tomar said. About 1 lakh hectares have been brought under natural farming in Andhra Pradesh, 99,000 hectares in Madhya Pradesh, 85,000 hectares in Chhattisgarh, 84,000 hectares in Kerala, 24,000 hectares in Odisha, 12,000 hectares in Himachal Pradesh, 3,400 hectares in Jharkhand, and 2,000 hectares in Tamil Nadu, he said. Natural farming is chemical-free and based on the

Crop losses reported in parts of Goa due to extreme rainfall, says minister

Goa Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik on Monday informed the state legislative assembly that crop losses have been reported in parts of the state due to extreme rainfall last month. Naik was responding to a joint question tabled by MLAs Vijai Sardesai, Cruz Silva and Carlose Fereira. As per the annexure provided by the minister on the floor of the House, farmers from Bardez, Canacona, Ponda, Quepem, Sanguem and Sattari talukas have made claims for compensation for crop losses due to incessant rains in the coastal state. Extreme forest fires and unusually high temperatures have not caused major crop losses in the state since June 1, 2020, the minister said. In a reply to a question about providing weather warnings to farmers, Naik said there is no special plan or protocol for agriculture disaster risk management or crisis management with state agromet service centres (IMD). However, the agromet advisory bulletin for Goa issued by the Meteorological Centre, Goa and by ICAR-CCARI, Old G

Paddy acreage up 3.4% from last year, 28.30 mn hectares brought under crop

An improvement in acreage, coupled with higher stocks than the buffer norm, should help in soothing some of the concerns about rice this year

Centre aims zero stubble burning in current season: Agriculture Minister

The Centre aims to work towards achieving zero paddy stubble burning incidents in the current season, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Friday. To achieve this, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi governments presented their action plan and strategies for preventing paddy stubble burning at an inter-ministerial meeting on Thursday. Stubble burning is a process of setting on fire the straw stubble, left after the harvesting of paddy. It is a common practice in October and November primarily in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. "The aim in the current season is to work towards achieving zero stubble burning," Tomar said. The Centre is providing sufficient funds under Crop Residue Management (CRM)scheme to the four states and they must ensure proper utilization by providing machine to farmers in a timely manner, he said in a statement. There is a need for proper monitoring at the state level to ensure proper utilization of the machines and the use of ...

Govt forms panel to suggest ways to rationalising, right-sizing ICAR

The government has constituted a high level committee to suggest ways for rationalising and right-sizing of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). In a written reply to Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar replied in the affirmative when asked whether the government has constituted a high powered committee to restructure the ICAR to make the organisation stronger. The 11-member panel is chaired by Additional Secretary (Department of Agricultural Research & Education) and Secretary, Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The Terms of Reference (TOR) of the committee is to make recommendations for rationalisation and right-sizing of ICAR to transform it into a more dynamic, lean and efficient organisation, the minister informed.

Best Agrolife consolidated net profit jumps to Rs 90.5 cr in June quarter

Agro chemical firm Best Agrolife Ltd on Monday reported an over two-fold jump in its consolidated net profit at Rs 90.5 crore for the June quarter of the current fiscal. Its net profit stood at Rs 40.12 crore in the year-ago period. Total income rose to Rs 616.75 crore in the April-June period of 2023-24 fiscal from Rs 464.07 crore in the corresponding period a year ago, according to a regulatory filing. Vimal Kumar, Managing Director of Best Agrolife Ltd, said the company has achieved remarkable growth momentum, with revenue from operations growing by 32 per cent despite the headwinds that the agrochemicals industry has been facing. "Additionally, our EBITDA margins of 21 per cent can be attributed to the increasing contribution of speciality, niche, and patented products to our overall revenue," he said.

LIVE updates: Amit Shah flags off BJP's 'En Mann, En Makkal' padyatra

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IoTechWorld Avigation gets DGCA certification for new agri-drone model

Agri-drone maker IoTechWorld Avigation on Wednesday said it has received certificate from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its new indigenous product 'AGRIBOT A6' which is more advanced and compact than previous model. In a statement, Gurugram-based IoTechWorld said its indigenously designed and manufactured 'AGRIBOT A6' drone has received the 'Type Certificate' from the DGCA. Type Certificate for drones is an official document issued by the DGCA certifying that a specific type of drone meets all the technical parameters and safety standards for operation in India, it added. IoTechWorld Co-Founder and Director Deepak Bhardwaj said the newly launched model is 30 per cent more compact compared to the previous model of 'AGRIBOT' and much more stable and reliable. He said the company has not increased rate for this new product despite advanced design. "AIF (Agriculture Infrastructure Fund) is available for AGRIBOT A6 in which 90 per cent collateral free loan is availab

Telangana has highest per capita income among all Indian states: MoSPI

Based on constant prices, Haryana topped the list with a per capita income of Rs 1,81,961 in 2022-23

AP EAMCET/EAPCET counselling 2023 registration begins, link to apply

The online registration process for the AP EAMCET/EAPCET Counselling 2023 has begun on eapcet-sche.aptonline.in/EAPCET

Garuda to tie up with Goa agri dept for promoting use of drone in farming

Drone maker Garuda Aerospace will collaborate with Goa's Department of Agriculture to conduct a drone yatra, an initiative boosting the usage of drones in this sector. The company in a statement said that the Goa Agriculture Department has invited them to collaborate in conducting the initiative of the Drone Yatra aiming to create awareness and promote the adoption of drone technology in agriculture. "This collaboration signifies a joint commitment to harnessing cutting-edge technology for the betterment of agricultural practices in the state. Through their innovative technology, farmers can now utilize Nano Urea spraying, maximizing efficiency, and productivity," the company said. The official said that the Drone Yatra in Goa is specially tailored to empower farmers with knowledge about the latest advancements in precision agriculture. "By utilising Nano Urea spraying through Kisan Drones, farmers can optimise the use of resources, minimise environmental impact, and ultimately ...