Page 32 - Agriculture

Manipur govt to provide security to farmers doing agricultural work: Police

The Manipur government will provide security to farmers engaged in agricultural work in the ethnic strife-hit state, a senior police officer said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference at Police Headquarters here, Inspector General of Police I K Muivah said as the planting period of the agriculture season is very short, the police will provide security to farmers engaged in agriculture work. The IGP said the state had recently reduced the number of security personnel deployed on VIP duty and will utilise them in providing security to farmers doing agricultural activities. However, the farmers should contact the Superintendent of Police of their respective district before heading out for their work, the IGP said. No farmers should go out for farming if they don't have any security cover, he said. The IGP said 822 security personnel will be deployed in providing security to farmers in Imphal West district, 290 in Imphal East, 236 in Bishnupur, 147 in Thoubal, 204 in Kakching, 20

Farmers hopeful of better paddy cultivation on good monsoon rains

The paddy cultivation has started gaining momentum over the past week across the Jammu division with farmers expressing satisfaction over the good amount of rainfall under the influence of Monsoon winds and western disturbance over the region. The farmers are hopeful for better yield this year compared to the previous years. The cultivation of paddy, especially the world-famous Basmati rice, serves as the sole source of income to a majority of farmers in R S Pura, Marh and parts of Samba and Kathua districts in Jammu region. "Paddy and maize are main crops of the Jammu region which are dependent on rain waterWe had good pre-monsoon rains. The Monsoon has also set on time which is good, Joint Director, Agriculture Department, A S Reen told PTI. He said the sowing of maize that is mostly cultivated in the rain-fed hilly areas was completed sometime back and the frequent rains over the past week are a blessing for the crop. The rice cultivation in Jammu plains and some parts of hilly

Top headlines: Rail freight's 1st dip after Covid, Kharif sowing falls 9%

Business Standard brings you the top headlines at this hour

India's El Nino silver lining: Resilience to poor rainfall improving

Agriculture's role in the economy has reduced over the decades, easing impact of 'climatic shock'

Irrigation coverage: Farms in majority of states are still rain-dependent

Twenty-two out of 36 states and union territories have less than 50 per cent irrigation coverage for their agricultural land

Govt revises crop residue management guidelines

The government on Saturday said it has revised the crop residue management guidelines, thus enabling efficient ex-situ management of paddy straw generated in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. As per the revised guidelines, techno-commercial pilot projects for paddy straw supply chain will be established under the bilateral agreement between the beneficiary/aggregator and industries utilising the paddy straw, the agriculture ministry said in a statement. The beneficiary or aggregator can be farmers, rural entrepreneurs, cooperative societies of farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and panchayats, it said. According to the ministry, the move will supplement the efforts of paddy straw management through in-situ options. During the three-year tenure of the interventions, 1.5 million tonne of surplus paddy straw are expected to be collected which would otherwise have been burnt in fields. About 333 biomass collection depots of capacity 4,500 tonne will be built in Pun

Govt spending Rs 6.5 trn annually on agriculture, farmers' welfare: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government was spending Rs 6.5 lakh crore annually for the agriculture sector and farmers' welfare, and called upon cooperatives to help in making the country self-reliant in cooking oils. Speaking at an event on the occasion of International Day of Cooperatives, the prime minister also highlighted the work done by his government, like PM Kisan scheme, MSP operations, and fertilizer subsidy since coming to power in 2014. In the last 9 years, Modi said more than Rs 15 lakh crore have been given to farmers by procuring their produce on the MSP. The government, he said spent Rs 10 lakh crore towards fertilizer subsidy last year. In other words, the government is spending around Rs 6.5 lakh crore per year on agriculture and farmers, the prime minister said. "This means that every year the government is providing an average of Rs 50,000 to every farmer in some form or the other. "That is, in the BJP government, farmers are guaranteed t

Flash flood in river Chandrabhaga in Lahaul, Spiti damages agriculture land

Agricultural land along the banks of river Chandrabhaga in a village in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh was damaged on Friday due to a rise in the water level following flash floods, according to the state emergency operation centre. The water level in the river was already rising for the past one week due to the melting of snow, said villagers. They added to have suffered a loss of about Rs 80,000 till now. The state has suffered a cumulative loss to the tune of Rs 242.40 crores since the onset of the monsoon on June 24. As many as 60 roads are still closed for vehicular traffic due to heavy downpours in the past few days. About 30 roads are expected to be opened by Friday night. The hill state received 20 per cent excess rain in the month of June as the state recorded 121.7 mm of rainfall against normal rainfall of 101.1 mm, the local weather department said. Kataula in Mandi district received the highest rainfall in a day with 163.3 mm on June 24. Four active

India to import 35% more tur dal at 1.2 mn tonnes to check prices

Facing a sharp rise in tur prices amid lower production, India will import 12 lakh tonne of the pulse in the current fiscal, up by 35 per cent from the last year, to boost domestic availability and contain price rise. "Tur is giving us trouble. All-India average retail price of tur is up by 25 per cent to Rs 128.66 per kg, when compared to last year's level. But it will start cooling down after import begins," Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said in a media briefing. The issue in tur (pigeon peas) is lower domestic production. The country's tur production remained lower at 30 lakh tonne in the 2022-23 crop year (July-June) against 39 lakh tonne last year. "We consume around 44-45 lakh tonne in India. Every year, we have to import. This year, obviously, we have to import more. We will import 12 lakh tonne in the current fiscal," Kumar said. So far, the country has imported 6 lakh tonne of tur. Imports are undertaken from Myanmar and East African countries. The crop in E

Need to transform agricultural practices for a sustainable future: IFPRI

India needs to think about alternative ways of doing agriculture so that the country doesn't run out of groundwater resources and destroy the soil, said Dr Shahidur Rashid, Director-South Asia the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). In an exclusive interview with PTI on the sidelines of the recent launch of the Global Food Policy Report (GFPR) in Kathmandu, Nepal, Rashid stressed on the importance of developing heat-tolerant crop varieties and adopting sustainable irrigation techniques. Flood irrigation, prevalent in rice cultivation, leads to water wastage and decreases water use efficiency. Implementing innovative irrigation methods and embracing solar power for irrigation can reduce carbon footprints and alleviate water scarcity issues, he said. Rashid emphasised that while India currently has sufficient food production to feed its population, challenges lie in ensuring accessibility, nutritional value, and long-term stability. The biggest challenge, he said, f

Tomato prices soar across country due to supply dip, cost Rs 80-100 per kg

Tomato prices have also skyrocketed in the southern state of Karnataka and its capital city Bengaluru as incessant rains have damaged the crop and made transportation difficult

Samunnati eyes more than 50% growth in revenue at Rs 6,600 cr in FY24

Open agri network Samunnati is eyeing over 50 per cent growth in revenue at Rs 6,600 crore in 2023-24, on the back of deepening its reach in both its verticals - agri finance and market linkage businesses, a top company executive said on Saturday. The company has clocked an overall Rs 4,400 crore revenue in 2022-23. "We are present in 23 states but the bulk of our business is mostly in states including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Odisha. "We are planning to deepen our client engagement in all 23 states offering both short-term loans to FPOs as well as providing them with market linkages. With this expansion we expect to clock Rs 6,600 crore revenue in this financial year," Samunnati founder and CEO Anil Kumar SG told PTI. Currently, Samunnati has around 5,500 FPOs registered on its platform, 50 per cent of which are borrowers while most avail the market linkage offering of the company, he said. Explaining further, Kuma

Area under paddy down 35% this kharif season, pulses, cereals acreage up

Area under paddy is down nearly 35 per cent to 10.77 lakh hectares so far in the ongoing kharif (summer-sown) season amid some initial delays in the progress of the southwest monsoon. The rice acreage stood at 16.46 lakh hectares in the corresponding period of last year, according to agriculture ministry data. Area under coverage for pulses is higher at 6.54 lakh hectares so far from 6.30 lakh hectares in the same period last year, the ministry said in a statement. Shri Anna-cum-Coarse Cereals acreage stood higher at 18.95 lakh hectares so far as against 13.38 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year. Area under coverage for oilseeds is down slightly at 9.21 lakh hectares from 9.52 lakh hectares. Cotton acreage is also down at 28.02 lakh hectares so far from 32.67 lakh hectares last year. Area under sugarcane remains flat at 50.76 lakh hectares so far this year as against 50.74 lakh hectares. Total acreage under all major kharif crops is 129.53 lakh hectares as on Frid

US welcomes agreement with India to end tariffs on American apples

US lawmakers and industry leaders have welcomed the announcement of an agreement with India to end the retaliatory tariffs placed on American apples and pulse crops which New Delhi will now give access to American agricultural producers and manufacturers to the country's huge market. In 2018, the US imposed 25 per cent and 10 per cent import duties on certain steel and aluminium products respectively on grounds of national security. In retaliation, India June 2019 imposed customs duties on 28 American products, including chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, boric acid, and diagnostic reagents. "Today is a very good day for Washington's world-famous apples and a huge boost to Washington state's agriculture economy," Senator Maria Cantwell said. "India has announced it is lifting retaliatory tariffs that all but shut down the Indian market for Washington's more than 1,400 apple growers and now our growers will once again have access to this USD 120 million market," Cantwell,

Production of pest-free fruits with no residues key for exports: MoS Agri

The minister was speaking after inaugurating a workshop for management of fruit flies on mango, being organised in Mumbai during June 19-23

Punjab govt made 7 teams for sale of quality seeds, pesticides: Minister

Punjab Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department has set up seven teams to ensure supply of quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides to farmers. State's Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Sunday said that these teams will also visit shops, manufacturing units of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides besides carrying out regular checks and sampling for quality as well as rates at which the goods are sold to the farmers. He further said that the flying squad teams, headed by Joint Directors and Chief Agriculture Officers of the department, will closely monitor the sale of seeds, pesticides and fertilisers, besides keeping a watch over the demand and supply of goods to farmers. The one team of the flying squad has been set aside for three to four districts, he said, according to an official statement. He urged the farmers to demand a 'bill' for each purchase from the vendor and ensure they only pay the amount mentioned on the bills. The Agriculture Minister said that If th

India can become sustainable fuel hub by using agri waste: Honeywell

Agricultural waste in India can be used for generating sustainable aviation fuel and make the country a hydrogen hub, a senior official of Honeywell India said on Wednesday. Honeywell India VP and General Manager for UOP and HPS Ashish Gaikwad said the technology is now available in the country that can benefit farmers by procuring agricultural waste from them, which they burn on the field that creates pollution. "It is my personal belief, India has the opportunity to become an energy hub for hydrogen. It can also become a hydrogen hub for SAF (sustainable aviation fuel). India is a large agricultural economy. It can produce a lot of agricultural waste that can become feedstock for producing SAF. Then not only we will produce SAF for our own domestic consumption but we will be able to export it," Gaikwad said. He said that Honeywell is a big proponent of India becoming a hub for SAF. India has committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2070. "Agricultural waste can be utilised for

G-20 agri ministerial meet on Jun 15 to discuss sustainable agriculture

A three-day G-20 agriculture ministerial meeting will kick-start on Thursday in Hyderabad and will deliberate on a wide range of issues including sustainable agriculture, climate solutions and women-led agriculture. More than 200 delegates from G-20 member countries, invited countries and global organisations are scheduled to participate in the meeting. Agriculture Ministers from various countries and Director Generals from global organisations will also take part. On the first day, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary will inaugurate an exhibition showcasing the achievements of India in the field of agriculture and allied sectors. The inauguration will be followed by the Agriculture Deputies Meeting (ADM), an official statement said. In the second half, there will be two side events titled, "managing agribusiness for profit, people and planet" and "Connecting the digitally disconnected: harnessing the power of digital technologies in agriculture" with ...

Agri Min issues draft guidelines for registration of bio-stimulants

The agriculture ministry has come out with draft guidelines specifying efficacy data and trial reports required for registration of various categories of bio-stimulants under Schedule-VI of the FCO Amendment order 2021. It is mandatory for a person who wants to manufacture or import any bio-stimulant to list such bio-stimulant under Schedule VI of the Fertiliser (inorganic, organic or mixed) Control Amendment Order 2021, also called the FCO Amendment order. India is one of the few countries to define separate regulations for bio-stimulants. In 2021, the government notified bio-stimulant regulation through the FCO Amendment Order. As per this order, bio-stimulants will have to be first registered and prove efficacy before hitting the market. As per the draft guidelines for registration of bio-stimulants released on June 12, stakeholders should ensure that the data submitted along with the application for registration is authentic, replicable, utilizable and of good quality. The ...

Skymet Weather predicts bleak monsoon in India over next four weeks

Private forecasting agency Skymet Weather Monday predicted a bleak monsoon in India over the next four weeks, raising concerns about the impact on agriculture. "Extended Range Prediction System (ERPS) is projecting a dismal outlook for the next four weeks, until July 6. Agriculture heartland is looking rather cracked and parched. This coincides with the crucial time of sowing or at least preparing the field, with the hope of impending rains," it said. The central and western parts of India, which form the core monsoon zone, may face challenges in coping with the drying effects due to inadequate rainfall early in the season, Skymet Weather said. The southwest monsoon reached Kerala on June 8, a week after the usual date of June 1. Cyclone Biparjoy in the Arabian Sea first delayed the monsoon onset over Kerala and is now impeding the advance of the rain-bearing system, preventing it from reaching the interior regions of the peninsula, the private agency said. While monsoon rains usu