Page 3 - Farmers

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

520 farmers commit suicide in Marathwada region in Jan-Jun: Report

Eight districts of Maharashtra's Marathwada region registered 520 farmer suicides between January and June (up to June 26) 2025, up 20 per cent from 430 such cases reported in the same period last year, according to a state revenue department report. Beed district, where 126 farmers committed suicide in the first half of the current calendar year, topped the list in the central Maharashtra region. Eight districts of Marathwada had witnessed 430 farmer suicides between January and June 2024. During the same period in 2025 (up to June 26) 520 agriculturists killed themselves in the region, said the report. This represented a nearly 20 per cent rise in farmer suicides. During the January-June 2024 period also, Beed remained on top among districts with 101 farmer suicide cases, said the report. This year, ex-gratia payment has been given to the affected families in 264 out of 313 qualified cases, while 146 cases are under scrutiny. Also, 61 cases were found ineligible for ...

Govt not helping farmers struggling with shortage of fertilisers: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the government of not taking any steps to help the farmers who are "struggling with shortage of essential fertilizers" like DAP and urea as China has "stopped the supply" of speciality fertilizers imported from there. Gandhi said on the one hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is printing his photos on fertilizer bags, and on the other hand, farmers are becoming dependent on 'Made in China'. "India is an agriculture state and farmers are the backbone of our economy. But, this backbone is bending due to foreign dependency. India imports 80 percent of specialty fertilizer from China. And now, China has stopped supply," he said in a post in Hindi on Facebook. "This is not the first time - farmers across the country are struggling with the shortage of essential fertilizers like urea and DAP and now the 'Chinese crisis' of specialty fertilizer is looming," Gandhi wrote. "Despite knowing that this supply can stop anytime, the government did

Karnataka to launch Price Deficiency Payment Scheme for mango farmers

According to estimates, Karnataka expects mango production of 0.8 to 1 million metric tonnes from 0.139 million hectares across districts such as Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Kolar, and Chikkaballapur

Farmers want DBT for schemes, AI based price forecasting tools from govt

On DBT, sources said the officials in the agriculture ministry feel that as of now, financial assistance for lots of schemes, such as farm mechanisation, goes directly into the bank account of farmers

T'gana govt to hold event for transferring Rs 9,000 cr payout to farmers

The Telangana government will hold a public function in Hyderabad to mark the transfer of about Rs 9,000 crore to farmers' accounts in just nine days under the 'Rythu Bharosa' investment support scheme, state Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said. The event, which will be attended by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his cabinet colleagues, will take place on Tuesday evening near the Rajiv Gandhi statue outside the Telangana Secretariat complex, Rao added. The minister, who reviewed the arrangements for the event with officials on Monday, said Rs 9,000 crore has been transferred to farmers' accounts ahead of the monsoon to ensure they have funds to carry out agricultural activities. Recalling the farm loan waiver of Rs 70,000 crore during the UPA regime led by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rao said the present Congress government has already spent Rs 21,000 crore on loan waivers. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy launched the disbursal of funds under the 'Rythu Bharosa'

Retail inflation for farm, rural workers eases to below 3% in May

Retail inflation for farm and rural workers eased to 2.84 per cent and 2.97 per cent in May from 3.48 per cent and 3.53 per cent, respectively, in April this year, according to data released by the Labour Ministry on Friday. According to the data, the All-India Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) and Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) decreased by 2 points and 1 point in May 2025 to stand at 1305 and 1319 points, respectively. The CPI-AL and CPI-RL were 1307 points and 1320 points in April 2025. "The year-on-year inflation rates based on CPI-AL and CPI-RL for May 2025 were recorded at 2.84 per cent and 2.97 per cent, respectively, compared to 7.00 per cent and 7.02 per cent in May 2024. The corresponding figures for April 2025 stood at 3.48 per cent for CPI-AL and 3.53 per cent for CPI-RL," said the labour ministry.

Govt will tighten seed & pesticide laws, tackle stray animal issue: Chouhan

Agriculture minister says Centre will tighten seed and pesticide laws, launch tech tools for weather and crop monitoring, and ensure KVK scientists regularly visit farms

Agriculture minister ends campaign, promises continued talks with farmers

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday concluded the 15-day 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' at a Kisan Sammelan in Bardoli, Gujarat, emphasising that while the campaign was ending, the government's engagement with farmers would continue unabated. Speaking at the venue that holds historical significance as the site of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's Bardoli Satyagraha against British tax policies in 1928, Chouhan drew parallels between past and present struggles for farmers' welfare. "I feel fortunate to be on this Karmabhoomi of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. On this day, 12 June 1928, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had held a meeting for the Bardoli Satyagraha," he said. The campaign, designed to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Lab to Land' vision, deployed 2,170 teams comprising 16,000 scientists who travelled village to village across the country. These teams engaged directly with farmers, providing research-based information tailored to local climatic conditions

Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan: Chouhan will meet Delhi farmers tomorrow

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will meet farmers from Delhi on Wednesday, as part of the 15-day nationwide Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan. The minister will visit Tigipur, Bakhtawarpur, and North Delhi in the afternoon to engage with farmers, and the interaction will take place through Kisan Chaupal, an official statement said. The representatives of Ujwa Krishi Vigyan Kendra and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, will participate in the event. The campaign, which began on May 29 in Odisha, will conclude on June 12. So far, Chouhan has interacted with farmers from 11 states. The objective of the outreach programme is to provide farmers with accurate information on the latest agricultural technologies, research, and government schemes, as well as address the concerns of the farming community. With the goal of increasing Kharif crop production, 16,000 scientists spread out in 2,170 teams are visiting villages to engage in a two-way communication process wit

Rural youth should be trained to become agripreneurs: VP Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday emphasised the need to empower the rural youth to become instruments of change in India's enormous but "underutilised" agricultural economy. Interacting with students, faculty and researchers during his visit to Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Solan, he also called for giving direct subsidy to farmers and claimed it will increase their annual income by Rs 30,000. Dhankhar said that instead of giving indirect subsidies on fertilisers, seeds and other inputs, farmers should get monetary assistance directly which will give them the choice to purchase fertilizer or opt for natural farming. He said that the income of a farmer's family in the US is higher than that of an average household in that country because farmers receive direct government support. Advocating for a hike in Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi, he said that this amount needs to be factored along with inflationary component, and added that like Samman .

Edible oil duty cuts good for importers, consumers, but farmers may suffer

The government has set a high MSP for soybean, but the near-collapse of the domestic market for oil meal, a key byproduct of soybeans, means farmers may look at alternative crops

Farm export-import policy must balance grower, consumer interests: Chouhan

This year, rabi production has been good & overall food grain production in 2024-25 is almost 21.6 million tonnes more than what it was last year. We have touched a record high in wheat, Chouhan said

Farm sector clocks robust growth in FY25 on record foodgrain harvest

Agriculture and allied activities grew 4.6% in FY25, driven by strong monsoon, record rice and wheat output, and improved rabi and kharif harvests

Farmers in Maharashtra to receive compensation after unseasonal rain damage

Damage reports being assessed, relief will cover crop, property, and livestock losses, says revenue minister

Operative KCCs dipped 2.7% in FY25; loans hit Rs 6 trillion, shows data

The number of operative KCCs declined by 2.7 per cent during the financial year 2024-25 (FY25) over the previous year