Page 2 - Crops

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

Centre drops private participation in grain procurement from PM-AASHA

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to meet farmers' groups every Tuesday to hear grievances; expects higher kharif output despite surplus rains

Chhattisgarh farmers surpass sowing target hoping high paddy price

Though the state has surpassed the paddy sowing target, it is yet to achieve the overall kharif crop sowing target for the season even as the sowing has come to a halt

Syngenta may look to increase manufacturing under Make in India: CEO

Rowe talks about Syngenta's strong presence in India for a long time

Import dependence: Crop diversification can improve edible oil production

There is a need to adopt improved farming practices and advanced production technologies to raise productivity and output in the long term to be able to reduce dependence on import

Rains likely to spell trouble for kharif acreage in India, shows data

The good news is that the areas under arhar, groundnut, soybean, and cotton are more than their five-year average

Gene-edited food: New crops could help us mitigate, adapt to climate change

Scientists used CRISPR-Cas9, a precision gene-editing technique, to create a variety of risotto rice potentially resistant to Pyricularia oryzae, a pathogenic fungus which leads to rice blast disease

Uttar Pradesh govt plans to set up crop-specific boards to boost exports

The government targets shipments of Rs 50,000 crore annually

Monsoon expected to hit Kerala coast on May 31, to boost crop output

The monsoon onset over Kerala is likely to be on May 31, with a model error of plus/minus four days, the India Meteorological Department said

Every rupee invested in agri research yields Rs 13.85, says study

After research comes agriculture extension activities which give the second best return on investment at 7.40 rupees for every one rupee invested

Direct seeded rice cultivation shows big promise for small farmers

Over 47 per cent of small farmers got higher rice yields through the direct seeded method, shows study

Centre's 5-crop MSP proposal: Why Punjab farmers are reluctant to diversify

As Centre proposes purchase of alternative crops at MSP, a look at why Punjab farmers are reluctant to diversify

Farmers' protest highlights: Mahapanchayat to discuss atrocities on farmers

Farmers' protest march updates: Catch all the latest updates on the farmers' protest here

Rajasthan may see drop in mustard production during 2023-2024 crop season

"The experts peg the output at around 1-1.2 mt lower than the estimates," said Anil Chatar, joint secretary of the Mustard Oil Producers Association of India

China expands imports, planting approvals of additional gene-modified crops

The agriculture ministry approved the domestic production of six more varieties of genetically modified corn, two of soybeans and one of cotton, and another two of gene-edited soybeans

Can cloud seeding be the answer to India's growing problem of uneven rains?

According to the IITM report, cloud seeding is a technique in which cloud-forming particles are used to increase rainfall

Why weather over the next few weeks determine India's rabi harvest health

Though, for many crops, there is still time before the full final harvest hits the markets, market players have already started speculating and predicting the harvest

Wheat sowing falls as UP sugarcane farmers yet to clear kharif crop fields

Traders in UP said the initial wheat sowing is down this year due to a delay in sugarcane harvesting. The farmers are waiting to clear their fields of the kharif crop

BBSSL will strive to protect India's indigenous seeds, says Amit Shah

Highlighting the need to provide quality certified seeds to farmers, Shah said that BBSSL has been established to boost domestic production as well as exports of certified seeds

Sunflower seeds to capsicum: Minimum support price fire is raging

The second of a two-part series looks at the policy lacunae that keep farmers from growing other crops which cut out the need to burn stubble