Page 2 - Farmers

Madhya Pradesh's ₹4.38-trn Budget focuses on farmers and women's welfare

Madhya Pradesh has presented a ₹4.38 trillion Budget for 2026-27, with major allocations for farmers, women, rural development and infrastructure, while avoiding new taxes

Explained: What is Bharat-VISTAAR and how will the new AI system guide farmers via phone calls?

India has launched Bharat-VISTAAR, an AI-driven multilingual agriculture platform that provides farmers with personalised advisory services, access to schemes

Rajasthan govt plans to promote beekeeping to boost farmers' income

With subsidies, bee colony distribution and new Centres of Excellence, Rajasthan plans to boost honey output and farm incomes through large-scale beekeeping

Rahul meets farm union leaders, discusses movement against US trade deal

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met farm union leaders from across the country in the Parliament House complex on Friday and discussed with them the need for a countrywide movement to oppose the India-US interim trade deal as well as safeguarding the livelihoods of farmers and farm labourers. Posting a video of the meeting on X and taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said, "Narendra 'surrender' Modi has betrayed India's farmers -- and they understand this." "This is not just a trade agreement, but a direct attack on the livelihoods of our food providers. At a meeting with a delegation of farmers' unions in Parliament today, the concerns were evident. Farmers, already struggling with inflation, rising costs and uncertainty over MSPs, are now being pitted against foreign crops equipped with heavy subsidies and mechanical power, unprepared," he said in his post in Hindi. This is not a fight based on equal terms, but one-sided pressure, Gandhi ...

India-US trade deal to benefit farmers with higher farm exports: Goyal

Commerce minister says India-US pact safeguards key crops and opens new markets for farm exports; accuses Rahul Gandhi of spreading misinformation

RBI for inclusion of farm-linked technology innovations as loans

Draft KCC norms seek to include tech innovation costs in farm loans and waive collateral for agricultural credit up to Rs 2 lakh per borrower

Rajasthan govt actively pushes natural farming; 250K farmers on board

The state government's goal is to nudge farmers towards chemical-free practices that also increase incomes

Bharat Bandh today: What's open, what's closed during strike?

A nationwide strike called by central trade unions and supported by farmers’ organisations is expected to disrupt banking, transport and local markets in parts of India.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha urges farmers to join February 12 general strike

Samyukt Kisan Morcha calls on farmers to back February 12 nationwide strike, supporting demands on labour codes, pension restoration and minimum wages

Explained: What are GM crops and why they matter in the India–US trade deal | Agriculture | Tariffs

India’s interim trade deal with the US allows duty-free access for some farm products — but GM crops remain a flashpoint. What are GM crops, why is India cautious

Farmers' bodies slam govt over India-US deal, announce protest on Feb 12

As trade and farmer unions announce a February 12 strike over the India-US trade deal, RSS affiliates back the government with caveats, while Opposition parties seek answers in Parliament

India-US trade deal: Farmer groups fear backdoor entry of GM crops via DDGS

Most farmer organisations and Opposition parties have sounded an alarm about the possible entry of GM products; Say could harm soy farmers in MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan

Centre to bring new laws to provide legal protection to farmers: Chouhan

Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said the Centre will soon introduce new agricultural laws to provide strong legal protection to farmers. He asserted that exploitation of farmers through fake seeds, spurious fertilisers and counterfeit pesticides will no longer be tolerated, and warned of strict and punitive action against those harming the cultivators' interests. Chouhan made the remarks during his one-day visit to Chhattisgarh, during which he interacted with farmers in two villages of Durg district, an official statement said. "The hard work of farmers, their crops and their future cannot be compromised under any circumstances. The Centre has moved decisively towards strict and punitive action against elements causing losses to farmers through fake seeds, spurious fertilisers and counterfeit pesticides," the Union minister said. Those involved in supplying fake agricultural inputs are not just committing economic offences but ...

India to import 50K tonnes of EU apples at 20% duty under FTA: Govt

Quantity will go up to 100,000 tonnes annually but only over the next 10 years

Centre likely to use digital farmer IDs to rationalise urea sales

Move could be another attempt to rein in burgeoning fertiliser subsidy

MP CM to roll out 'Krishak Varsh' 2026 with tractor rally on Sunday

According to an official release, prior to the programme, CM Yadav will flag off a 'Krishi Rath' and a farmers' tractor rally at the Kokta Bypass in the state capital

Fall in nominal GVA also drags down real agriculture growth in FY26

The nominal growth rate of GVA of agriculture and allied activities is projected at a record low of just 0.8 per cent in FY26, down from 10.4 per cent in the last financial year

Chhattisgarh Assembly passes its biggest supplementary budget of ₹35K cr

To strengthen the paddy procurement mechanism, ₹12,424 crore has been provided to the Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation (MARKFED) to offset procurement losses

IFFCO MD projects 10% growth in FY26 profit amid nano fertiliser woes

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) Managing Director K J Patel has projected a 10 per cent net profit growth for FY26, even as the cooperative grapples with sluggish domestic adoption of its flagship nano fertilisers and intensifies farmer training programmes to unlock their potential. In an interview to PTI, Patel, a four-decade IFFCO veteran who recently took over from U S Awasthi after his 32-year tenure, outlined a holistic strategy centred on the cooperative's "crown jewel"- its enduring bond with 36,000 cooperatives and over 5 crore farmers. "Our motto is to make sure that fertilisers are manufactured and they are also delivered to farmers with enough explanation how to use them, when to use them," said Patel, emphasising soil-specific guidance and quality seed advice aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of doubling farmers' income. Four years after launch, nano fertilisers- touted as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical inputs - remain IFFCO's most

Govt to extend Farmer Producer Organisations scheme for five more years

The government will extend its central scheme for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) for another five years from 2026-31, addressing gaps that have limited the scaling up of operations, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said on Friday. Addressing the CII FPO Summit here, Chaturvedi said the scheme, launched in February 2020 with a target of forming 10,000 FPOs, needs to be extended for the next finance commission cycle. "About 10,000 FPOs have been formed but they have to be handheld. Many of the FPOs have been formed in the last two years, so we have to handhold them with community-based organisations and implementing agencies," he explained to PTI on the sidelines of the event. The ministry has identified practical difficulties in making FPOs successful, including capacity building and access to capital loans. "We will try to incorporate these in the new scheme so that they become very efficient, energetic and dynamic in terms of giving returns to the farmers," he said in