Page 4 - Farmers

VP Dhankar urges farmers to explore agro products to increase income

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday asserted that the income of people has to increase eightfold to define Viksit Bharat and urged farmers to look beyond agriculture and explore agro-based products to increase their income. Talking to reporters after paying tributes to former prime minister Charan Singh on his death anniversary here, the vice president said Viksit Bharat, or a developed India, does not refer to the rank of the nation's economy in the world. He felt that to define Viksit Bharat and make it a ground reality, people's income has to increase eightfold. Expressing confidence that such a development will certainly happen, provided farmers are far-sighted, Dhankar said farmers make a lot of effort in cultivating and harvesting crops, but beyond that their role is negligible. He also called on farmers to increase their participation in the animal husbandry and agro-based industry. Dhankhar highlighted that the entire food processing industry is based on farm produ

Maharashtra onion farmers reel under slump, unseasonal rains worsen woes

Pre-monsoon rains in several parts of Maharashtra since the beginning of May have increased the worries of the state's onion cultivators, who are already stressed about falling prices of the kitchen staple. Onion crops on thousands of acres have been damaged in the rains, leaving farmers staring at heavy losses, Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers Association founder-president Bharat Dighold told PTI. The damage in real terms is yet to be ascertained as the rains continue and panchnamas (spot assessment) haven't been done, he lamented. Onion-producing areas in Konkan, Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Latur, Amravati and Nagpur have been witnessing heavy unseasonal rains since May 6. "Unseasonal rains have lashed onion-growing districts of Dhule, Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune, Solapur, Beed, Dharashiv, Akola, Jalna, Buldhana, and Jalgaon. Prices were already down and have further slumped due to unseasonal rains," he said. He said in th

'Don't have a plane to give you': South African President jabs at Trump

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met Donald Trump, joked about a plane, and calmly responded as Trump clashed with a journalist and showed a video on white farmers

India's agri must grow 5% a year to become developed by 2047: Chouhan

He said that foodgrain is grown on 93 per cent of farmland, but growth in the crop is just 1.5 per cent

Shivraj Singh Chouhan to discuss IWT benefits with farmers at Pusa campus

The Agriculture Minister will meet farmers from North India to explain how putting the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance will secure water access and safeguard livelihoods

NCP (SP) leader Patil seeks relief for farmers hit by unseasonal rain

Maharashtra NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil on Saturday expressed concern over farmers facing losses due to unseasonal rains and demanded immediate assistance for those affected. Patil said crops have been damaged due to unseasonal rainfall in several parts of the state, and the weather department has forecast more showers in the coming days. "The state is experiencing heavy unseasonal rainfall, with hailstorms reported in several regions. This has caused significant crop damage, and the meteorological department has predicted more rainfall in the coming days. I urge the government to provide immediate assistance to the affected farmers," he said in a statement. He cited a tragic incident in Manora, Washim district, where a farmer's produce was washed away in the downpour. Patil demanded that the government take swift action to provide relief and support to the affected farmers.

Govt to launch nationwide farm awareness drive from May 29: Shivraj Chouhan

With ensuing kharif sowing season, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday announced a pan-India 15-days campaign starting May 29, to create awareness among 1-1.5 crore farmers about modern technology and new seed varieties. The campaign named 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' is scheduled during the May 29-June 12 period and the target is to reach out to 1-1.5 crore farmers across 700 districts in the country. The Centre in association with states will form 2,000 teams comprising farm scientists, officials and progressive farmers, among others. Each team will have three meetings every day at district level. The aim is to reach out to 10-12 lakh farmers every day. Addressing a National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign here, Chouhan stressed on improving agriculture extension services to boost productivity and production of all major crops. He emphasized on making available new technologies and research work done in labs to farmers' fields within a fi

Farmers rush to wrap up harvest near J-K's IB amid rising tension with Pak

Farmers living along the nearly 200-km-long International Border in Jammu and Kashmir are racing against time to complete the harvest process amid heightened tension following the Pahalgam terror attack. In the three districts of Jammu, Samba, and Kathua, about 1.25 lakh hectares of agricultural land falls within the shelling range of Pakistan. Villages like Treva, Mahashe-de-Kothe, Chandu Chak, Gharana, Bulla Chak, and Korotana Kalan are witnessing a flurry of activity, with families working day and night to finish harvesting, dry the grain, and pack it for delivery to mills. While over 90 percent of the wheat and other crops have been harvested, the process of harvesting the rest, packaging them and sending them to mills remains. We are racing against time to complete harvesting, Santosh Singh, a 50-year farmer from Treva village in the Arnia sector said, adding there is very little time left. Treva, located just 1.5 km from the border, is directly under threat from Pakistan ...

Consider inflation while providing aid to farmers, says VP Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday advocated Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in fertiliser subsidies for farmers based on the US pattern and demanded that inflation be factored in while providing financial assistance to agriculturists, like the salaries of legislators and MPs. Addressing faculty members and students of the Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Agriculture University in Gwalior, the vice president said, "The Prime Minister has factored in inflation while revising the salaries of legislators and MPs, so why not when supporting farmers? Assistance provided to farmers must also account for inflation". Emphasising the need for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in fertiliser subsidies, Dhankhar said, "In the United States, all aid provided to farmers is given directly, not through intermediaries. Just like we have the PM-KISAN scheme in India, the Indian government also spends heavily on fertiliser subsidies. "It is now a matter for both reflection and research. If the same money i

Incentives needed for farmers to adopt non-chemical fertilisers: Agri secy

There is a need for structuring a comprehensive and fool-proof set of incentives for farmers to voluntarily adopt non-chemical fertiliser-based farming practices, agriculture secretary Devesh Chaturvedi has said. Addressing an event organised by policy research institute Pahl India Foundation (PIF), Chaturvedi, secretary in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, also suggested that natural farming need not to remain confined to a niche market and said it should be mainstreamed so as to make nutritional products available for the common people. Also speaking at the event, former NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said that to achieve nutritional, ecological and health security, a paradigm shift in agriculture is necessary and rigorous empirical research is needed to establish the viability of non-chemical farming in this regard. Harpinder Sandhu of Federation University, Australia, and Aditi Rawat, PIF, presented a methodology for a pan-India study to assess the ...

Centre defers May 4 meeting with farmers over participation of Punjab govt

The Centre on Thursday deferred the proposed May 4 meeting with farmer leaders here, urging them to allow Punjab government officials to participate. Union agriculture ministry's joint secretary Puran Chandra Kishan wrote to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) in this regard. The communication came days after farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that they would be forced to boycott the talks if Punjab government representatives were invited. He claimed the farming community harboured deep resentment against the Punjab government over the eviction of protesting farmers from Shambhu and Khanauri border points in March. The SKM (Non-Political) and KMM on April 27 wrote a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, urging the Centre not to include representatives of the Punjab government in the proposed meeting. In Thursday's letter, joint secretary Kishan said, "As you know, state governments have an important role in the .

Govt to set fresh target of 30% ethanol blending in petrol by 2030

Target of 20% blending already achieved in March this year

Tariff pause eases farm worries, Andhra govt forms panel on shrimp exports

Sources said one of the mandates of the committee is to study India and Ecuador's shrimp production patterns and exports

Farmer leaders to attend May 4 talks with Centre: Jagjit Dallewal

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal Monday said the farmers' agitation will continue till the government accepts their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price for crops. He said farmer leaders would take part in the proposed May 4 talks with representatives of the Centre as they did not want to allow the government to make the excuse that the farmers did not attend the meeting. "We will attend the meeting and we will strongly put forth our demands." Dallewal, who ended his indefinite hunger strike on Sunday after 130 days, said their next course of action will be decided by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) in a meeting. He is a senior leader of a joint forum of these two outfits. SKM (Non-Political) and KMM had led a farmers' agitation at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana for over a year after security forces did not allow them to march to Delhi to press for their demands. The protest site

Modi govt taking several steps to increase farm income: Shivraj Chouhan

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said the Modi government is taking several steps to increase farm income and has insulated farmers from high fertiliser prices in the international markets. "Our vision is to increase farm income and we will leave no stone unturned to achieve that vision. Farmer welfare is Modi government's guarantee," Chouhan said during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha. He said the Modi government is giving Rs 6,000 per month to farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. To a question by SP member Anand Bhadauria on whether the government will waive farm loans, Chouhan said "several steps are being taken by the Modi government to increase farm income, as well as to increase production, to reduce the cost of production and helping them to sell their produce. Farm loans are increasing, and under Modi (government), income of farmers is continuously increasing." Chouhan further said that fertiliser prices have been increasing in the ...

After nearly 4 decades, govt to revise farm and rural inflation gauges

The Labour Bureau has constituted an expert committee, chaired by National Statistical Commission member Asit Kumar Sadhu, to shift the base year from 1986-87 to the 2024-25 agricultural year

Don't think govt is in a great hurry to sign BTA with US: Ashwani Mahajan

Since the US has announced the imposition of reciprocal tariffs, their markets are down, and there are fears that inflation will increase

More than 5.1 million farmers registered for Agri Stack in Rajasthan

Under the Agri Stack scheme, Kisan Registry Camps are being organised in all villages of all the districts

Farmers' movement will continue, says leader Pandher after jail release

Pandher strongly condemned the AAP-led Punjab government for destroying farmers' front

Removal of 20% onion export duty to boost farmers' income: Shivraj Chouhan

The government's decision to withdraw 20 per cent customs duty on onion exports effective April 1 will boost farmers' income, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday. "There will be no duty on onion export so that onion grown by our farmers with hard work reaches the global markets, and they can get better price and remunerative price," Chouhan said in a video statement. The minister said the export duty was earlier fixed at 40 per cent, but was reduced to 20 per cent when onion prices started falling and farmers began getting lower returns. "Now, the government has decided that 20 per cent export duty should also be removed completely," he added. According to a notification issued last week by the Finance Ministry, the export duty withdrawal will come into effect from April 1. Chouhan said the Narendra Modi government is "farmer-friendly" and ensuring remunerative prices for farmers is its "priority and commitment". The export duty removal aims to protect domes