Crops

11th ITPGRFA meet postpones key decisions on expanding plant list

The meeting had entered a crucial phase after the chair of ITPGRFA proposed a compromise document where it wanted expansion of the MLS to include all crops and revision of the transfer agreement

Sowing trend: Wheat acreage rises 129% as of November 7, shows data

Soil moisture substantially improved owing to vigorous post-monsoon showers across many parts of India, which swayed farmers to plant more area under rabi crops to get the best yields

AIC plans expanding parametric insurance products to livestock, people

Agriculture Insurance Company of India plans to scale up weather-linked parametric insurance to livestock and income protection for agricultural workers

Pulses push: New govt mission should help reduce import dependence

Past experience in India shows that production, higher minimum support prices, and procurement alone cannot solve the problem

Centre approves procurement of major kharif pulses, oilseeds in UP, Gujarat

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday approved procurement of major Kharif pulses and oilseeds from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat this year. A decision in this regard was taken in a virtual meeting with Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat Agriculture Ministers Surya Pratap Shahi and Raghavji Patel, respectively. In the meeting, the central government agreed to procure in Uttar Pradesh, about 2.27 lakh tonnes of urad (black gram), 1.13 lakh tonnes of tur, 1,983 tonnes of moong (green gram), 30,410 tonnes of sesame and 99,438 tonnes of groundnut, an official statement said. In Gujarat, the Centre agreed to buy 47,780 tonnes of urad, 4,415 tonnes of moong, 1.09 lakh tonnes of soyabean, and 12.62 lakh tonnes of groundnut. "Chouhan stated that the approved quantities may be revised as needed after the release of the first advance estimates for Kharif 2025-26, ensuring maximum benefit to farmers," the statement said. Every eligible farmer will get the right to sell the crop at the ...

Pests, viral diseases threaten standing kharif crops, push up chemicals use

An increase in monsoon activity and resultant humidity has seen a significant proliferation of pests and viruses across states and crops, leading to greater application of chemicals

Rajasthan govt to focus on strengthening agriculture sector's infra

The official said that the CM gave his consent to allot free land for these mandis, sub-mandis and food parks in government as well as local body areas

Anti-GM groups slam ICAR over release of genome-edited rice varieties

The Coalition for a GM-Free India has criticised the release of two genome-edited rice varieties, calling the move unscientific, risky, and a threat to seed sovereignty

India releases genome-edited rice varieties to boost yields by up to 30%

Kamala - DRR Dhan-100 and Pusa DST Rice 1 use less water and help cut greenhouse gas emissions, says Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Return of winter chill may benefit wheat crop, prices ruling above MSP

Some parts of northern India, including states such as Haryana, saw unseasonal rains and hailstorms in the last few days, damaging the standing crop in some areas

TOP trinity production likely to rise in 2024-25 season: Govt data

Production of potatoes is projected at 59.57 million tonnes in 2024-25 which is almost 4.4 per cent more than the same period last year

Govt sets wheat procurement target at 30 MT for 2025-26 rabi season

The government has set a conservative wheat procurement target of 30 million tonnes for the 2025-26 rabi marketing season, sources said. The lower procurement target comes despite the Agriculture Ministry aiming for a record wheat production of 115 million tonnes in the 2024-25 crop year (July-June). For the 2025-26 rabi marketing season starting April, the minimum support price for wheat has been fixed at Rs 2,425 per quintal. The procurement target was set following discussions with state food secretaries, the sources added. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies conduct wheat procurement to ensure farmers receive minimum support prices and to meet welfare scheme requirements. In 2024-25, government wheat procurement reached 26.6 million tonnes against a target of 30-32 million tonnes. While this exceeded the 26.2 million tonnes procured in 2023-24, it fell short of that year's 34.15 million tonne target. Wheat procurement in 2022-23 was just 18.8 million tonnes

Centre considers lifting 3-year ban on trade in some crop futures

A final decision will be taken by a group of ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration, which will then ask the Securities and Exchange Board of India to lift the curbs or extend them

Wheat acreage matches normal area, raising hopes of regular harvest

With the weather expected to turn cold in north India and a forecast of mild showers, it should augur well for the standing crop

Agrochemical federation CCFI opposes patent evergreening for agrochemicals

The Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) on Thursday urged the government to reject patent evergreening for agrochemicals, arguing that such a move would harm farmers and local manufacturers by creating monopolistic market conditions. The industry body criticised a newly formed government committee examining data protection provisions for agrochemicals, claiming it would unfairly benefit multinational corporations and importers at the expense of domestic producers. CCFI Chairman Deepak Shah, in a statement, said extending patent protections beyond the standard 20-year period would lead to overpricing and reduced accessibility for small and marginal farmers. "The government should protect the interest of domestic manufacturers and farmers," Shah stated. The federation highlighted that between 2010 and 2022, while 62 new pesticide molecules were patented in India, only 27 were commercially launched. Of the remaining 35 products, their patent periods have already expired. Citing a 20

BARC launches high-yield, climate-resilient varieties of wheat, rice

The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, has introduced eight new high-yielding, climate-resilient varieties of wheat, rice and oilseeds, it said on Friday. Developed using radiation-based mutation breeding techniques, these non-GMO crop varieties are set to "revolutionise" agriculture across India, the BARC said in a statement here. The new varieties -- five cereals and three oilseeds -- are tailored to diverse agricultural conditions and were launched in collaboration with state agricultural universities. Speaking at the launch, Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, highlighted BARC's significant contribution in enhancing farmer incomes and boosting food and nutritional security. Vivek Bhasin, Director, BARC, called these varieties a "boon for farmers" due to their early maturity, disease resistance, climate resilience, salt tolerance, and higher yields compared to existing options. India's

Centre spent Rs 3,623 cr for crop residue management: Environment Minister

After Punjab, Haryana received Rs 1,081.71 crore, Uttar Pradesh was allocated Rs 763.67 crore, the NCT of Delhi Rs 6.05 crore, and ICAR Rs 83.35 crore from the total Rs 3,623.45 crore

Uttar Pradesh eyes Rs 3,000 cr in seed production to boost cash crops

UP, with India's largest cultivable land area of 16.6 million hectares - over 80 per cent of which is irrigated - currently imports hybrid seeds primarily from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh eyes Rs 3,000 cr in seed production to boost cash crops

UP, with India's largest cultivable land area of 16.6 million hectares - over 80 per cent of which is irrigated - currently imports hybrid seeds primarily from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh

India's foodgrain production hits record 332.22 MT in 2023-24: Govt

India's foodgrain production reached a record 332.22 million tonne in the 2023-24 crop year ended June, driven by bumper wheat and rice output, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday. The final estimate for 2023-24 shows an increase of 2.61 million tonne from the previous year's 329.6 million tonne, the ministry said in a statement. Rice production touched a record 137.82 million tonne, up from 135.75 million tonne in 2022-23. Wheat output also hit a high of 113.29 million tonne as compared to 110.55 million tonne the previous year. However, pulses production declined to 24.24 million tonne from 26.05 million tonne and oilseeds output fell to 39.66 million tonne from 41.35 million tonne. The ministry attributed the decline in pulses, coarse cereals, soybean and cotton production to "drought-like conditions in southern states, including Maharashtra and prolonged dry spell during August especially in Rajasthan". Sugarcane production decreased to 453.15 million tonne from 490.53