Page 2 - Farmers

Farmers protest against land acquisition in Ujjain for Simhastha 2028

The RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) staged a protest on Tuesday against a Madhya Pradesh government plan to build permanent structures for the Simhastha 2028 by acquiring farmlands and warned of stopping milk, vegetable supplies if its demands were ignored. This was the second straight day of agitation by the influential farmers' outfit on the land acquisition issue in Ujjain, which will host the Simhastha, or the Kumbh Mela. On Monday, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliate took out rallies, staged demonstrations, handed over memoranda across MP to highlight problems of cultivators and warned against acquiring farmlands for the mega Hindu religious gathering held every 12 years. Riding tractors and carrying garlands of onions and soybeans damaged by rains as part of the latest protest, farmers questioned the rationale behind permanent construction for the Simhastha when temporary arrangements for pilgrims and seers were sufficient as was the case in the past. ..

SOPA seeks 10% increase in edible oil import duty to support farmers

The Soybean Processors' Association of India (SOPA) has urged the government to increase import duty on edible oils by at least 10 per cent to protect farmers from sluggish domestic prices that have discouraged cultivation. In a representation to Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, SOPA Chairman Davish Jain said cheaper imports and depressed domestic oilseed prices have led farmers to reduce or abandon oilseed cultivation. "We earnestly request your kind intervention to revisit the customs duty structure on imported edible oils and increase the duty by at least 10 per cent at the earliest," Jain said, adding that such a measure will go a long way in restoring farmers' confidence, incentivising greater oilseed production, and reinforcing India's journey towards self-sufficiency. The appeal comes as the area under soybean cultivation has declined by over 5 per cent this year, with farmers disheartened by poor price realisation. Throughout the current marketing year, soybean .

GST cut on agri inputs to lower cultivation costs, boost farmers' incomes

The GST reduction on agricultural inputs and machinery could lower farmers' cultivation costs, boosting incomes, while also making seafood products more affordable for domestic consumers

Rajasthan govt to build godowns to boost food storage capacity for farmers

Under the scheme, the target is to create over 160,000 million tonnes of additional storage capacity in the years 2024-25 and 2025-26 for food grains storage

Flood-hit farmers in Guna must get their rightful insurance claims: Scindia

Union Communication Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday said insurance companies that received premiums from farmers in his Guna Lok Sabha constituency must clear their claims against loss of crops due to floods. The insurance companies that have collected money (premiums) from farmers in the district must now come forward to help them as their crops have been destroyed due to excessive rainfall. We will ensure that farmers get their rightful dues from these companies, he said. I have asked the collector to convene a meeting with these insurance companies so that farmers can get relief without delay, he told reporters here. He also inspected flood-affected areas in the city and visited several colonies to review the situation caused by heavy rains. Scindia said he had been touring the constituency for the past three days to assess the damage caused by the natural calamity. Water entered villages and cities from both the skies and rivers, creating a grave situation. Now the ...

Onion farmers in Maharashtra claim losses over non-transparent procurement

Onion growers in Maharashtra are facing financial losses due to non-transparent procurement of the crop by a Central agency, an association representing farmers alleged on Saturday. State Onion Growers' Association president Bharat Dighole said farmers are compelled to stage protests even during festivals and demanded that the government should either ensure fair procurement or stop NAFED's onion purchases. A farmer from Nashik district staged a unique protest against NAFED on the occasion of the Pola festival with his bullocks. Pola is a thanksgiving festival celebrated by farmers to acknowledge the importance of bulls and oxen, who are a crucial part of agriculture. "For several years, NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) has been procuring onions for buffer stock. However, farmers allege that large-scale financial irregularities occur in this process, depriving them of fair prices and causing losses worth crores of rupees annually," Dighole sta

Jaishankar slams US tariffs, says India will protect farmers' interests

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar criticised US tariffs on Indian goods, saying India will protect the interests of farmers and small producers while maintaining its national priorities

Retail inflation for farm, rural workers ease to 0.77 pc, 1.01 pc in July

Retail inflation for farm and rural workers eased to 0.77 per cent and 1.01 per cent in July from 1.42 per cent and 1.73 per cent, respectively, in June, according to data released by the Labour Ministry on Thursday. The All-India Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers increased by 1.23 points to 135.31 in July 2025, while the index for Rural Labourers increased by 1.30 points, reaching 135.66, a Labour Ministry statement said. The Food Index increased by 1.94 points for Agricultural Labourers (AL) and 2.16 points for Rural Labourers (RL) in July 2025. According to the statement, the year-on-year inflation rate for agricultural labourers and rural labourers stood at 0.77 per cent and 1.01 per cent, respectively, in July 2025. The food inflation in July 2025 stood at (-) 1.56 per cent (contracted) for AL and (-) 1.13 (contracted) per cent for RL. The Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour & Employment, releases Consumer Price Index Numbers for Agricultural Labourers and Rural .

Scanty monsoon rainfall fans crop loss fear among farmers in Rajasthan

Lack of rainfall is likely to damage the most important crops, guar, and pearl millet (bajra)

Watch | PM Modi on Trump tariffs: Ready to pay heavy price for our farmers, fishermen | Trade war

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has responded to Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff, saying India will not compromise on the interests of its farmers, fishermen, or dairy farmers

More than 2 million farmers in Assam get ₹422 crore under PM-KISAN

Over 20 lakh farmers in Assam have received more than Rs 422 crore under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, officials said on Sunday. The amount was disbursed on Saturday as part of a nationwide programme, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, a senior official of the Agriculture Department said. "Under the 20th instalment of the PM-Kisan scheme, more than 20.31 lakh eligible farmer families in Assam have received the benefit," he added. As per the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, eligible farming families receive Rs 6,000 annually in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each. "Nearly 20.31 lakh farmers across our state have received Rs 422.05 crore directly into their bank accounts under the PM-KISAN scheme. This timely support is a testament to the unwavering commitment of the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji towards ensuring dignity, security and prosperity for our Annadatas," Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora said in a

Farmers' welfare top priority under PM Modi's leadership: Shivraj Chouhan

Chouhan said that with the help of the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, the government is ensuring that the assistance reaches directly into the accounts of the farmers

Shah praises ₹20,500 crore PM-Kisan release, calls it farmer-friendly

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday hailed the disbursement of Rs 20,500 crore to 9.7 crore farmers under the Kisan Samman Nidhi and said it was yet another "farmer-friendly" step of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While visiting his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Saturday, Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 52 development projects worth approximately Rs 2,183.45 crore. In a major move to support farmers, the prime minister released the 20th instalment of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, transferring Rs 20,500 crore to the bank accounts of over 9.70 crore eligible farmers across the country at a function held in his parliamentary constituency. "Farmer-friendly Modi ji today took another step towards farmer welfare by releasing the 20th installment of the 'Kisan Samman Nidhi' from Kashi. Under this, a total amount of more than Rs 20,500 crore was transferred to over 9.7 crore farmers across the country through DBT," he wrote on X in Hindi. Additionally, Sh

Tenant farmers can access Fasal Bima if authorised by landowners: Govt

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says tenant farmers can now access Fasal Bima and MSP schemes if authorised by landowners, marking a policy shift

Maharashtra agro corp to set up units to manage farmers' crop surplus

The state-owned Maharashtra Agro Industries Development Corporation (MAIDC) plans to procure mobile processing units to help farmers manage excess production of certain crops by enhancing their shelf life by 12-18 months, an official has said. Oversupply in the market forces farmers to sell their produce, particularly the perishable ones, at throwaway prices or even discard them. The MAIDC initiative aims at ensuring good returns to the growers, said the managing director of the corporation, Mangesh Gondavale. The official said they will procure two machines and deploy them in two districts by the next monsoon season on a pilot basis. Each machine can process 16-18 products and can be customised depending on the region, he said. Processing includes washing, peeling, drying, chopping, slicing and liquefaction. For instance, tomatoes can be converted into puree, while onions can be dried for longer storage. Sometimes, the overall production of a crop in a region becomes high. To ensu

Smart irrigation model may help farmers cut water use by 30%: IIT Bombay

Farmers can potentially save up to 30 per cent of water through a smart irrigation plan, IIT Bombay claimed while citing a joint research with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune. Researchers fed weather forecast and soil moisture data into a computer model that checks the possible amount of rain, the soil water capacity, and the water requirements of each crop, IIT Bombay stated. This computer model can predict the amount of irrigation water needed up to three weeks on a district and sub-district scale, which will help farmers determine the amount of water they can expect through rainfall in the coming weeks and plan their irrigation accordingly. This will aid in crop growth and conserve groundwater, it said. During a pilot study in Nashik, researchers found that some grape growers used local soil moisture sensors. They irrigated their grape farms if the sensor detected soil dryness; however, it is also observed that if these irrigated farms received rainfall,

Farmers to get ₹1 lakh per acre until land developed under pooling scheme

Farmers will initially receive Rs 50,000 per acre along with the letter of intent (LOI) within 21 days of applying for the land-pooling scheme, said Punjab Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Monday. He further said the amount of Rs 50,000 will be hiked to Rs 1 lakh per acre when the government takes over the possession of the land. Mundian also said there will be a 10 per cent hike per annum until the land development is complete. The housing and urban development minister held deliberations with the farmers of 164 villages regarding the land-pooling scheme here to get their feedback and address their concerns related to the scheme. Mundian said farmers who opt for the land-pooling scheme can continue farming on the land until the development work on the land starts. The minister said farmers will get the LOI within 21 days of applying for the scheme. The day the government takes possession of the land, the amount of Rs 1 lakh per acre per annum will be given and if the ..

Free power, subsidised rail transport fail to benefit the poor meaningfully

But the problems remain at the distribution end, where state-owned distribution companies or discoms dominate

Farmers advancing towards mobile-based crop monitoring: Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said farmers in India are now moving towards mobile-based crop monitoring and gaining access to global markets with the help of technology. He said the government aims to transform farmers not just into producers but into entrepreneurs. Speaking at the inauguration of the Centre for Agricultural Technological Innovation at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology in Meerut, Pradhan said that farmers will soon be able to get information on their mobile phones about expected rainfall -- which crops to sow, and the demand for agricultural products in various markets. He said that an innovation hub has been established at the university in collaboration with IIT, Ropar and the Centre for Agricultural Skill Development will also be launched soon. Highlighting the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture, Pradhan said AI will guide farmers in identifying crop diseases and suggest possible ...

DBT of central, state aid in agriculture still riddled with challenges

What remains the Holy Grail of DBT is the direct transfer of input subsidies into the bank accounts of farmers, and within it, the transfer of fertiliser subsidies