Page 17 - Farmers

Farmers' bodies organise 'mahapanchayat', demand MSP guarantee law

Samyukta Kisan Morcha and 18 farmer unions on Saturday organised a "mahapanchayat" here demanding the enactment of a law guaranteeing minimum support price for crops and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report. The gathering of farmers from across north India also announced a "Delhi Chalo" march to the national capital on February 13. "We are demanding the enactment of a law to guarantee MSP, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report according to the C2 (comprehensive cost of production) plus 50 per cent formula and loan waiver of farmers and labourers," Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Sidhupur) chief Jagjit Singh Dalewal said. In its 2006 report, the National Commission on Farmers' chairman M S Swaminathan suggested the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices to fix MSP at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production. The farmers also demanded justice for the victims of the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, 2021

Amit Shah to launch procurement portal for tur dal growing farmers

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will on Thursday launch a tur dal procurement portal that will enable farmers to register themselves for selling the commodity and receive payments directly into their bank accounts. The multi-lingual portal will streamline the entire process for tur dal growers in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka and Jharkhand, simplifying the registration, procurement and payment processes. The portal will be launched at a national symposium on 'self-reliance in pulses' to be held here in the capital. Currently, the government procures various kinds of pulses including tur dal through agencies such as Nafed and NCCF for maintaining a buffer stock. "This farmer-centric initiative aims to empower tur dal producers with better prices through procurement, streamlined processes and direct bank transfers by NAFED and NCCF, thereby boosting domestic pulses production and reducing import dependence," an official statement said. Under this initiati

BJP's lies are strongest: Kharge as he slams PM on doubling farmers' income

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the promises made by him to double farmers' income by 2022, alleging that the "BJP's lies are the strongest". In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "Narendra Modi ji, Today is the last day of 2023. You said that till 2022'Every farmer's income will double. Every Indian will have a house and 24x7 electricity. The economy will become USD 5 Trillion." "All this did not happen'but every Indian knows that BJP's lies are the strongest!" Kharge said. The Congress has been attacking the government over its handling of the economy and its policies regarding farmers. Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh attacked the government over not conducting the decennial census. Responding to a post on the delay in holding the census, Ramesh said, "The inordinate delay in conducting the decennial Census last due for 2021 raises several questions. It is not just related to the Covid ...

Chhattisgarh CM Deo fulfills poll promise, clears pending paddy bonus

"I am happy that we have transferred Rs 3,716 crore to more than 12 lakh farmers," the CM said

Onion in a pickle, again: Here's why the humble bulb remains so volatile

Long-term solutions such as increasing the shelf life through irradiation technologies and converting fresh onions into pro­cessed flakes are available but have not been pursued with rigour: Experts

Modi ecosystem talking on caste after silence on caste census demand: Cong

Taking a swipe at the BJP over the mimicry issue, the Congress on Thursday said the "Modi ec(h)o system" has gotten hyper-vocal talking about farmers and caste after remaining silent on issues such as caste census demand and farmers' agitation. A political row broke out on Tuesday after Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament against the MPs' suspension, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP. Several BJP leaders have also slammed the opposition over the issue, saying the mimicry was an insult to farmers and Dhankhar's community. In an apparent attack on the BJP, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said this is nothing but "the famed Modi 3D vision at work: Distortion, Diversion and Distraction". "The Modi ec(h)o system is completely silent on: Manipur. Over 700 deaths during farmers' agitation. Violence on women wrestlers by Delhi police and sexual harassment of wrestlers by a

Welfare of BC, women and farmers to be Chhattisgarh govt's priority: Guv

Chhattisgarh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan on Wednesday said the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, women, farmers and rural communities require an extra-sensitive approach and these groups will continue to be a priority for the state government. In line with the ideals and principles of former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee and incumbent PM Narendra Modi, the state government is dedicated to ushering in a new era of good governance in Chhattisgarh, the governor said addressing the state assembly. The first session of the newly-elected Chhattisgarh assembly began on Tuesday. The governor said, "The significant voter turnout in constituencies affected by Naxalism showcases the determined commitment of the rural and forest-dwelling communities to protect their democracy. I hope that the steadfast trust in the welfare-focused initiatives of my government continues to grow through our people-centric endeavours." Various poll promises made by the ruling Bharatiya Jan

Assam aims to attain food self-sufficiency in next two years: CM Sarma

The Assam Chief Minister said that, during the recent Assembly election campaigns in five states, he had an opportunity to see the "best practices of farmers in other states."

Bengal's Malda district, known for its mangoes, grows oranges in a first

A farmer in West Bengal's Malda district, which is known for its mangoes, has set a record this year by growing oranges. Dipak Rajbanshi has grown around 1.5 quintal of orange in his garden. He claimed that the oranges that he grew were tastier than the ones grown in Maharashtra's Nagpur. He said these oranges are smaller than the Darjeeling variety, and he is still researching whether bigger oranges can be grown on Malda's soil, and only then, he will make efforts for commercial production. "I have sold some of the oranges to fruit sellers at Rs 30-35 per kg," said Rajbanshi, a resident of Goalpara in Old Malda. He said he bought around 10 orange plants from a nursery in Nadia district's Ranaghat four years back. "One of the plants died, but the others grew. The height of the plants at present is around 7 feet. This year, first the flowers started appearing on the trees, and then came the fruits. The oranges began to ripen around mid-November. About 20-25 kg of oranges have grow

Chhattisgarh poll: 'Modi ki Guarantee' trumps Cong's promises of freebies

It seems the promises made by the BJP, which it promoted as 'Modi ki Guarantee 2023', worked in its favour as it emerged victorious in the tribal-dominated state

LIVE: EC revises date of counting for Mizoram assembly elections to 4 Dec

Catch the latest news updates from across the globe

Stubble burning down 27% in Punjab, 37% in Haryana compared to last year

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has declined by 27 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively, as against last year, the Union Environment Ministry said on Thursday. From 83,002 fires in 2020, the count in Punjab dropped to 71,304 in 2021, 49,922 in 2022, and further to 36,663 in 2023. In comparison to 2022, there was a 27 per cent reduction in farm fires in 2023. The reduction was even higher, standing at 49 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively, when compared to 2021 and 2020. In 2020, the farm fire count in Haryana was 4,202 which increased to 6,987 in 2021, then reduced to 3,661 in 2022, and further decreased to 2,303 in 2023. This marks a 37 per cent reduction in 2023 compared to 2022, with reductions of 67 per cent compared to 2021 and 45 per cent compared to 2020. The ministry said four districts in Punjab saw over 50 per cent fewer fires in 2023 compared to 2022. Five districts showed improvements ranging from 27 per cent to 50 per cent. Three districts in Haryana rec

SKM's 3-day protest: Farm leaders to give memorandum to Punjab guv tomorrow

Farmer leaders will meet the Punjab governor on Tuesday in connection with their various demands as the three-day protest under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha continued for the second day on Monday. Scores of farmers gathered at the Mohali-Chandigarh border on Sunday to press the Centre to accept their various demands, including a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP). Farmers are demanding the withdrawal of cases filed against them during the 2020-21 stir against the now-repealed farm laws, compensation and jobs for any one of the family members of farmers who died during the stir, debt waiver, and pension. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) is an umbrella body of various farmer unions. Addressing the media here, farmer leader Harmeet Singh Kadian said their leaders will meet the governor on Tuesday. We will give our memorandum to the governor on Tuesday at 11 am, said Kadian. Farmer leaders further said the next course of action of the SKM will be decided on ...

Punjab govt calls protesting farmer leaders for meeting with CM Mann

The Punjab government has called farmer union leaders for a meeting here on Friday with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as highway blockade in Jalandhar by the farmers who are demanding an increase in sugarcane prices entered the fourth day. Farmers are staging a 'dharna' in the middle of the Jalandhar-Phagwara section of the highway which has also affected traffic between Jalandhar and Delhi. On Thursday, the farmers also blocked a section of the railway track near Dhanowali village in Jalandhar, which affected the train movement too, but on Friday they decided to lift the blockade from the rail track after receiving a call of meeting with the chief minister. However, the road blockade continues. The farmers, who are demanding an increase in the prices of sugarcane from Rs 380 per quintal to Rs 450 per quintal, have put up a tent in the middle of the road and are spending the night on the highway. They are also demanding the resumption of sugar mills' operations for the crushing of .

L&T Finance gets $125 mn loan from ADB to support MSMEs, farmers

Non-banking financial company L&T Finance on Thursday said it has signed a USD 125 million loan pact with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support financing in rural and peri-urban areas in India, particularly for women borrowers. The funding comprises a loan of up to USD 125 million from ADB, and an agreement to syndicate an additional USD 125 million co-financing from other development partners, L&T Finance said in a statement. At least 40 per cent of the proceeds is allocated for women borrowers, while the rest will support farmers, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and loans to purchase new two-wheelers, among others, it said. Microloans, farm equipment loans, two-wheeled vehicle loans, and MSME loans have been identified as segments with strong growth potential anticipated in the medium term, it added. By focusing on lending in rural and peri-urban areas of lagging states in India, the project is strategically aligned with the goals of the Ministry of .

ITC launches app to provide crop advisory, market access to Bengal farmers

ITC Limited on Wednesday launched a mobile application to provide crop advisory, market access and financial services to the farmers of West Bengal. ITC chairman Sanjiv Puri launched the ITCMAARS (Metamarket for Advanced Agriculture and Rural Services) application on the concluding day of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) here. He said the application, on which services would be available in Bengali, would offer world-class technologies and services to farmers in partnership with a large number of leading players in the agri sector, besides banks, institutes and technology firms. Puri said ITC aims to reach out to five lakh farmers over time. He said that ITC's agri business already has a significant presence in the state, where it works with nearly 1.7 lakh farmers, introducing new crop varieties, promoting crop development for enhancing quality and improvement in yield, besides providing advisory and other services.

Don't turn people against you by blocking roads: CM Mann tells farmers

A day after farmers blocked a stretch of the national highway in Jalandhar, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday asked the farm unions not to turn people against themselves by blocking roads. Farmers under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara section of the Jalandhar-New Delhi National Highway near Dhanowali village for an indefinite period on Tuesday, seeking a hike in sugarcane prices. Mann said if the farmers do not shun the practice of blocking roads every time their demands are not met, a day will come when people will stop sympathising with them. "My request to the farmer unions is not to turn common people against you by blocking roads for every issue. For holding talks with the government, there is Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, the Secretariat, the office of the agriculture minister and my office and residence but not the roads. If this attitude remains, then the day is not far when you will not find people for 'dharnas'... understand

Bonus for paddy to be announced in Winter session: Maharashtra CM

Bonus for paddy will be announced in the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Legislature to be held in Nagpur next month, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Monday. Speaking at a 'shaasan aplya dari' programme in Bhandara, some 60 kilometres from here, Shinde said his government believed in replying to the criticism by opponents through its work. The issue of bonus for paddy farmers was also raised by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in his address at the 'government at your doorstep' event. "The Mahayuti government will announce bonus for paddy crop in the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Legislature to be held in Nagpur in December," Shinde said. The state government is planning to bring about 8000 to 10,000 hectares of land under irrigation very soon, the CM added. He said the ruling alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, had won two-third of the seats in the recently held gram panchayat polls and

Telangana farmers wait for red gram board a year after receiving GI tag

It's been almost a year now since a local variety of tur dal (red gram) grown in the Tandur assembly segment, received the geographical indication (GI) tag. However, many farmers are still unaware of its significance, leaving aside taking advantage of it in the absence of a board which the ruling BRS (then TRS) promised during the 2014 poll campaign. The famous 'Tandur red gram' is the 16th GI product from Telangana. The Geographical Indication tag was granted in December 2022 to the Yalal Farmers Producers Company Ltd, which had applied for 'Tandur red gram' with the support of Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU). It is the first agricultural commodity in the state to get the GI tag. GI tag is a status given to a product belonging exclusively to a particular area. The quality, reputation and any other characteristics of that particular product is generally attributed to the geographical origin of the product. Tandur assembly segment, located 115 km

Red Sanders removed from CITES Review of Significant Trade: Bhupendra Yadav

The CITES RST process enables disciplinary action in the form of trade suspensions directed at countries that do not meet their obligations