Page 20 - Farmers

Sunflower crop procurement picks up in Haryana, after relief to farmers

Kurukshetra district has the highest production of sunflower and its main procurement centre is Shahbad

J'khand to probe misuse of farmers' Aadhaar cards for irrigation scheme

Jharkhand government will probe the alleged misuse of farmers' Aadhaar cards to avail benefits of the Centre's micro-irrigation scheme Per Drop More Crops' in parts of the state. The government swung into action after farmers from some blocks, alleged that their Aadhaar cards had been misused or they were misled into signing up for the scheme without their knowledge. Jharkhand Agriculture Minister Badal Patralekh said a high-level probe committee has been set up to investigate the issue. "I have set up a four-member probe committee to look into alleged misuse of Aadhaar cards under the scheme," Patralekh told PTI on Friday. The four-member committee will be headed by Hazaribag sub-divisional officer as maximum cases of irregularities were reported from the district, he said. "If any anomaly is found, strict action will be taken," he said. Some farmers said micro-irrigation equipment had been dumped in their farms, though they hadn't applied for the scheme. Farmers alleged that so

Under Modi, farm income halved, agri cost doubled: Chhattisgarh CM

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday said the Narendra Modi government halved farmers' income and doubled agricultural cost in its nine-year rule. He was reacting to the Central government announcing a hike in in MSP (minimum support price) on Thursday. During the Congress-led UPA regime (between 2004 and 2014) MSP on paddy was increased by 131 percent, while the Modi government has increased it by just 61-62 per cent, Baghel told reporters at Civil Lines Helipad. "The income of farmers in India has not doubled but the cost of agriculture has doubled. Rates of diesel, fertilizer and agriculture equipment have gone up. Production cost has increased and income (of farmers) has been halved," he alleged. Hitting back at former CM Minister Raman Singh's charge that development work has happened only in his home turf Patan and Durg, Baghel said corruption took place even in ration card and slipper distribution during the Bharatiya Janata Party's tenure. "Raman Singh was

MSP announced by Modi govt inflicting losses on farmers, says AIKS

The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on Thursday slammed the Centre over the recently announced MSP for the Kharif Season, and alleged that it is inflicting "huge losses" on farmers. The Union government on June 7 announced the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for the Kharif Season 2023-24. "The MSP announced is unfair, belies the hopes of the farmers and inflicts huge losses on their incomes. Rather than doubling farmers' incomes as claimed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rising input costs coupled with unfair MSP will push large sections of the farmers, especially the small, marginal, middle farmers as well as tenants into indebtedness," the AIKS said in a statement. AIKS President Ashok Dhawale said the government has not kept its promise that the MSP will be given according to the Swaminathan Commission recommendation of C2 (production cost definition) plus 50 per cent. "It still remains a 'chunavi jumla' (unfulfilled election promise). Not a single crop has its MSP fixed as per this

Protesting farmers give ultimatum to Haryana govt, warn of massive rally

A day earlier, the arrested farm leaders were produced before a court that remanded them to a 14-day judicial custody

Farmers protest for MSP; Congress dubs Centre, Haryana govt anti-farmer

The Congress on Wednesday slammed the BJP governments at the Centre and Haryana, accusing them of being "anti-farmer" and breaking their promises every day.

Centre removes 40% procurement celling to boost production of pulses

Department of Consumer Affairs said the assured procurement of these pulses at remunerative prices will help motivate the farmers to enhance the sowing area in respect of tur, urad, and masur

Farmers block national highway near Shahabad on sunflower MSP issue

A large number of farmers on Tuesday afternoon blocked the national highway near Kurukshetra's Shahabad, demanding that government should procure sunflower seed at the MSP. The farmers blocked the Delhi-Chandigarh NH near Shahbad after a call was given by BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni. The protesting farmers claimed that the government was not buying sunflower seeds at the minimum support price, and as a result, they were forced to sell their produce to private buyers at around Rs 4,000 per quintal against Rs 6,400 MSP. Charuni said the government should procure the sunflower seeds at the MSP of Rs 6,400 per quintal. The protesters said they had given the government time till Monday, but their demand was not heeded. The farmers gathered at the protest site and crossed police barricades and blocked the NH, with some bringing their vehicles laden with sunflower seeds. Police had to divert traffic through other routes and link routes after the protesters blocked the ...

Telangana spends Rs 12k-cr per year to give free power to farmers: CM KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said his government has been spending Rs 12,000 crore annually for providing free power to farmers in the state. Speaking at a public meeting here, the Chief Minister said the food processing industry will be a focus area after the Assembly polls in Telangana. "In order to strengthen the farming community and make agriculture a fruitful venture and see smiles on farmers' faces, the government is spending Rs 12,000 crore annually to provide free power to you (farmers)," Rao, also known as KCR, said. He cautioned the people not to entertain opposition parties stating that if they come to power, then BRS' flagship schemes like free power, 'Rythu Bandhu' financial aid for farmers and 'Dalit Bandhu' for Scheduled Caste members to start enterprises will all go away. "People should decide whether the party which will abolish these schemes should come into power or we (BRS) should continue," he said addressing the people at the ...

178,000 farmers attend orientation programme on agriculture schemes in J&K

At least 1.78 lakh farmers from 1,626 panchayats of Jammu and Kashmir took part in an orientation programme which has been organised in six rounds to create awareness about various agricultural schemes of the government, officials said. The 'Kisan Sampark Abhiyan' has been rolled out under the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) with 29 proposed projects with an outlay of Rs 5,012 crore to be implemented in the next five years. The latest round, which was conducted from 29th May to 31st May, saw massive participation of farmers. "A total of 1.78 lakh farmers have participated in the orientation programme under the Kisan Samapark Abhiyan during the six rounds of the programme which began from 24th April," Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture Production department (ADP) Atal Dulloo said. He said that it saw massive participation of farmers. "The programme has covered a total of 1,626 panchayats in six rounds conducted so far. The department in J&K is currently engaged in

WHO stresses on policies to help tobacco farmers shift to growing food crop

On the eve of World No Tobacco Day, WHO on Tuesday called upon its partners to support governments in developing policies to help tobacco farmers shift to growing food crops that would provide them with a better life culminating in supporting national economies and ensuring food security. Effective tobacco control involves tackling demand and supply as envisaged in the WHO Framework on Tobacco Control (FCTC), said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia. While the focus of tobacco control programmes is on reducing tobacco demand, the strategies to reduce its supply need to be balanced with the demand reduction for achieving an overall reduction in tobacco use prevalence, she said. The theme of this year's World No Tobacco Day is "We need food, not tobacco". The campaign aims to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable and nutritious crops. It also aims a

Haryana 'khaps', farmer outfits throw their weight behind wrestlers

Haryana's 'khaps' and farmer outfits were among the organisations which appealed to the protesting wrestlers on Tuesday not to immerse their medals in the Ganga, before the athletes called off the move. The wrestlers had announced they would immerse their medals in the river in Haridwar as a mark of protest to demand action against BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who they alleged sexually harassed women grapplers. But the wrestlers did not carry out the threat after farmer leaders sought five days' time from them to resolve the issue. Earlier, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda also appealed to the wrestlers against immersing their medals in the river, saying the awards they have won for the country were not favours from any person or any government. "The country that celebrates your victory is standing with you even today. Don't get disappointed! We appeal to you, come back! Change the decision of immersing the medals in the Ganga," the

Farmer leaders going for Mahila Maha Panchayat in Delhi detained in Haryana

Several farmer leaders in Haryana were detained briefly when they tried to proceed towards Delhi with their supporters for a 'Mahila Maha Panchayat' in support of the wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) claimed on Sunday. Security was heightened at Haryana's borders with Punjab and Delhi, and barricades were put up at many places. Farmers, mostly women, tried to move in groups towards the national capital. Some farmers from Punjab also tried to join their Haryana counterparts in moving towards Delhi. In Haryana, many farmer leaders were detained inside their homes early on Sunday for a few hours. The police also stopped hundreds of farmers at the Haryana-Punjab border near Ambala City in the morning. In Kurukshetra, BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni was detained under relevant provisions of the law, a police official said. The outfit claimed some other farmer leaders were detained in different parts of Haryana to prevent them from reac

Farmers in UP ready to take up black wheat cultivation amid absence of mkt

A large number of farmers in Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh are willing to grow black wheat even as the absence of a local market for the crop is proving to be a deterrent for many. Black wheat is a different kind of wheat which comprises high quantity of anthocyanin, an antioxidant pigment. The presence of this pigment in the wheat leads to an increase in its nutritional value. "This time, black wheat was produced in over 250 acres by more than 200 farmers in the district. At the local level, the wheat is being bought at Rs 6,000 per quintal, while in the bigger cities, it is being sold from Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per quintal. The district administration is making efforts that the farmers benefit at the local level," Shahjahanpur DM (district magistrate) Umesh Pratap Singh told PTI. Prem Shankar Gangwar, a resident of Tilhar, said that this time he grew black wheat on an experimental basis on one acre of land, and also set up a (food) processing unit for the crop, in which

Hard work of farmers establishing UP as 'economic superpower': Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the hard work of farmers is establishing the state as an "economic superpower" in the country and highlighted that villages are now moving ahead with technology. Referring to the nine years of the Narendra Modi dispensation, he also said in these years, the nation has seen farmers and labourers becoming the agenda of a government for the first time in history. Inaugurating a campaign to link farmers with the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, the chief minister said that "a total of 2.63 crore lakh farmers" in the state have joined the central scheme and "Rs 55,800 crore has been transferred to the bank accounts of our farmers in the state under the scheme so far". "Despite this, we heard from some farmers that the money is not reaching them. In view of this, the process of Aadhaar authentication is being started on a large scale, so that 100 per cent eligible farmers can benefit from this scheme," he said. Adityanath also .

Uddhav govt did nothing for farmers hit by rains, crop loss: Fadnavis

The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government under Uddhav Thackeray did not do anything for farmers distressed by unseasonal rains and crop loss and relief was provided to them by the Eknath Shinde dispensation, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday. Addressing a gathering of BJP functionaries in Katol here, he said the Shinde government had started various farmer welfare schemes after coming to power in June last year, adding that 12-hour daytime power supply will begin for the agriculture sector soon under the CM Saur (solar) Krishi Yojana. "The Uddhav Thackeray government did not do anything for farmers hits by unseasonal rains that damaged crops. Financial assistance was provided to them by the Eknath Shinde government. The Maharashtra government has set aside Rs 3,000 crore for drip irrigation, cotton shredders and will implement four schemes for farmers," he said. Expressing confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party will win upcoming polls in the ...

Farmers block railway tracks over inadequate land acquisition compensation

Hundreds of activists of farmers' outfit Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMC) on Thursday squatted on railway tracks and blocked rail traffic at a number of places in Punjab over alleged inadequate compensation for the land acquired for the Bharatmala project. The KMC said it also registered its protest against the alleged slapping of a woman by a policeman in Gurdaspur district on Wednesday when farmers were protesting over the compensation issue. Railway officials said incoming and outgoing trains running between Amritsar and Delhi were affected for a few hours after 12.30 pm in the wake of the farmers' protest. Rail traffic was also affected a few other places in the state KMC spokesperson Gurbachan Singh Chabba said the farmers were protesting on the compensation issue in connection with the acquisition of land for the Bharatmala project and the alleged high handedness of the police in Gurdaspur district against the farmers. He said the government was acquiring the land but

Rajasthan govt to disburse Rs 22,000-cr interest-free crop loans in 2023-24

Agriculture and its allied sectors contribute over 28 per cent to the state's GSDP

Govt to set up 1,100 farmer producer organisations in cooperative sector

The cooperation ministry on Wednesday said 1,100 new farmer producer organisations will be established in the cooperative sector under a central scheme. Since February 2021, the agriculture ministry is implementing a central sector scheme titled 'Formation and promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) with a budgetary provision of Rs 6,865 crore. Under the scheme, a target of establishing 1,100 additional FPOs has been allocated to the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), an official statement said. A financial assistance of Rs 33 lakh is provided to each FPO under the scheme. Further, a financial assistance of Rs 25 lakhs per FPO is provided to the Cluster Based Business Organisations (CBBO). According to the cooperation ministry, primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) --- which have a member base of around 13 crore farmers and are primarily engaged in short-term credit and distribution of seeds and fertilisers -- will now be able to undertake

PM Kisan Yojana's 14th instalment likely soon: Check if you are eligible

Under the PM Kisan scheme, eligible farmers get Rs 2,000 every three months, which is Rs 6,000 per year