Page 8 - Farmers

Modi lists out Centre's pro-farmer steps in Sonipat; attacks Cong on quota

He said the Centre also hiked customs duties on the import of edible oils, to benefit farmers

Corteva launches initiative to support 2 million women farmers by 2030

Global agriculture company Corteva Agriscience on Tuesday unveiled a programme aimed at empowering two million women farmers across India's agri-value chain by 2030. The initiative seeks to bolster the role of women as farmers, researchers, and entrepreneurs through targeted support and resources. Subroto Geed, President of Corteva Agriscience South Asia, emphasised on the critical role of women in agriculture, stating, "Women are the backbone of rural life and agriculture. We hope this focus will accelerate India's path to becoming a developed nation." The programme's key components include promoting climate-smart practices through women-only farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and cooperatives; capacity-building and mentorship for female STEM students; and prioritising health, wellness, and financial literacy for women farmers. At a roundtable discussion following the launch, Subha Thakur, Additional Secretary in the Union Agriculture Ministry, called for increased public-privat

Cabinet okays 'One Nation, One Poll' and host of proposals in farm to space

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared proposals in areas ranging from agriculture to moon and venus with a total outlay of more than Rs 60,000 crore

Cabinet approves PM-AASHA scheme extension with Rs 35,000 cr outlay

Schemes under PM-AASHA aim to regulate price fluctuations to ensure fair prices for farmers. The Centre has also updated the policies under this scheme and added new components. Details here

Digital revolution to help arrest exodus of youth from farming: FAIFA

Farmers' body FAIFA on Wednesday said the government's initiatives for digital revolution in agriculture will go a long way in arresting the exodus of youth from agriculture. Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), which claims to represent farmers and farm workers of commercial crops across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat, said the recently announced seven schemes totalling Rs 14,000 crore will play a key role in stopping the movement of the youth from rural to urban and from farming to other professions. "These new schemes are not just about technological integration. This will help in relieving agrarian distress caused by climate variations and market uncertainties that have made agriculture unlucrative for our youth," FAIFA President Javare Gowda said in a statement. These schemes are likely to create new jobs, and the demand and creation of different skill sets will open more opportunities for the youth of rural India in the times to come, FAIFA ..

Old lending practices a constraint in catering to agri sector: RBI dy guv

He highlighted that institutional credit to agriculture reached an all-time high of Rs 25.10 trillion during FY24

Kisan Mahapanchayat: Farmers not to support or oppose any party in polls

In the Kisan Mahapanchayat held at Uchana in Haryana's Jind district on Sunday, it was decided not to support or oppose any party in the elections, a farmer leader said. A large number of farmers from Haryana, Punjab and other states attended the Mahapanchayat held under the aegis of the Bharatiya Kisan Naujawan Union. Farmer leaders like Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Shravan Singh Pandher, and Abhimanyu Kohad participated in it. Providing information about the decision taken in the Mahapanchayat, Dallewal said, We (farmers movement) have nothing to do with the elections. Our aim is to strengthen the movement. We will neither help anyone nor oppose anyone in the elections. To strengthen our movement, we will make people aware of the failures of the government and the decisions taken against the farmers.' He said, 'The next Mahapanchayat will be held on September 22 in Pipli, Kurukshetra. The demands for which we are protesting are not only of Punjab, Haryana, but of the farmers of the whol

Custom duty hike on crude, refined oils to hugely benefit farmers

The government's decision to hike customs duty on crude palm and refined sunflower oil to 20 per cent and 32.5 per cent, respectively will "hugely" benefit farmers as it will increase their income, a senior official said on Saturday. The government official also said that the decision to remove minimum export price and slashing of export duty on onion too would help farmers of the country. According to a finance ministry notification, the basic customs duty on crude palm, soybean and sunflower seed oil has been increased from nil to 20 per cent. Basic customs duty on refined palm, soybean and sunflower oil has been hiked from 12.5 per cent to 32.5 per cent. The effective duty on these crude and refined oils will increase from 5.5 per cent to 27.5 per cent and from 13.75 per cent to 35.75 per cent, respectively. "These are big support for soya and oilseed farmers. Farmers from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh will get hugely benefited as they account for significant production of the

Govt removes minimum export price on onion; aims to benefit Indian farmers

The government on Friday scrapped a minimum price threshold that it had set previously for exports of onion as it looked to pass on the benefit of international glut to Indian farmers. The government had previously fixed a USD 550 per tonne as the minimum export price (MEP), which essentially meant farmers could not sell their produce overseas at lower than this rate. A DGFT notification issued on Friday removed the MEP with immediate effect. The move comes ahead of assembly elections in Maharashtra, a key onion producing state. The move would help promote exports of the commodity. "The Minimum Export Price (MEP) condition on Export of onions is removed with immediate effect and until further orders," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

Rajasthan farmers get free seed kits under state govt's millet push

The agriculture and allied sectors contribute 27 per cent to Rajasthan's gross domestic state product

Govt to begin farmer registration for Aadhaar-style IDs from October

In a major push towards digitising the agriculture sector, the government will soon begin registration of farmers across the country to provide them with a unique ID similar to Aadhaar, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said on Monday. Chaturvedi, speaking to PTI on the sidelines of an Outlook Agri-Tech Summit and Swaraj Awards, said the guidelines for the registration process will be issued soon, with the implementation set to begin in the first week of October. "Our target is to register five crore farmers by March next year," the secretary said, noting that the initiative is part of the government's Rs 2,817-crore Digital Agriculture Mission approved by the Cabinet recently. A pilot project was earlier conducted in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and 19 states have already onboarded the project, he said. Once the farmers' registry is created, an "Aadhaar-like unique ID" will be provided to each registered farmer. Chaturvedi said the unique ID will help farmers access vario

Centre okays Rs 14,000-crore for 7 new schemes to boost farmer income

Seven new schemes aim to leverage technology, crop science in agri sector

Cabinet approves seven agricultural projects worth Rs 13,966 crore

Cabinet approves seven agricultural projects worth Rs 13,966 crore

Use organic fertilisers to ensure soil does not turn infertile: Chouhan

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday urged farmers to switch to organic fertilisers to save the soil from turning infertile and also for the betterment of human health. The Union minister for agriculture and farmers welfare was interacting virtually with farmers and 'Swayampurna Mitras' (officials assigned to deliver government schemes) of Goa. Chief minister Pramod Sawant joined the interaction from here. It was aired across panchayats, municipalities and zonal agricultural offices in the coastal state. "Gradually, we have to switch towards organic farming. The use of chemical fertilisers is affecting the soil. If there is uninterrupted use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the soil will turn infertile. It is also bad for human health," Chouhan said while hailing the state government for providing thrust on organic farming by giving various subsidies. The 'Swayampurna (self sufficient) Goa' initiative is an example of how the government can use available ...

Farmers to hold mahapanchayat on Sept 15 and 22, ask govt to open borders

Notably, farmers are protesting at the Shambhu border near Ambala and have been camping there since February 13

Uttar Pradesh government plans clusters to meet farm exports target

The state government plans to leverage the Centre's Rs 1,800 crore Clean Plant Programme to enhance the quality of horticultural exports

BJP distances itself from Kangana Ranaut's statements on farmers' movement

Kangana Ranaut is neither permitted nor authorised to make statements on the party's policy - BJP issues a statement in response to the Mandi MP's controversial comments.

Will soon constitute committee to resolve grievances of farmers: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would soon constitute a multi-member committee to amicably resolve the grievances of farmers "for all times". A bench of Justice Surya Kant, Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, which posted the matter for further hearing on September 2, asked the Punjab and Haryana governments to give tentative issues concerning farmers to the committee. The Punjab government informed the top court that in compliance with the August 12 order of the apex court, they held a meeting with the protesting farmers in which they had agreed to partially open the blocked highway. The bench asked the Punjab and Haryana governments to keep engaging with protesting farmers and persuade them to remove their tractors and trollies from the highway. On August 12, the top court asked the Punjab government to persuade the farmers protesting at the Shambhu border since February 13 to remove tractors and trollies from the road, saying that "highways are not parking ...

Food, fuel, and timber: How bamboo is becoming 'green gold' for farmers

Bamboo cultivation with modern agronomic practices is proving more rewarding than many other crops, including the highly lucrative ones like sugarcane and cotton

AI push: Farmers reap better quality and yield, but challenges remain

The Indian govt is also promoting use of AI to help farmers increase their productivity