Indian Agriculture

Seed firms hold 20-30% kharif stock, last-mile delivery key concern: FSII

India's private seed companies are holding 20-30 per cent surplus stock for the kharif season, but ensuring timely distribution to critical rain-deficient geographies remains the key challenge as El Nino threatens to deliver a weak and delayed monsoon this year, industry body FSII has said. Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) Chairman Ajai Rana said while the sector was well-prepared following a bumper seed production season for corn, rice, and millets, a recent survey of 1,000 farmers showed 75 per cent had already purchased seed while the remaining 25 per cent were waiting for the monsoon underscoring the urgency of moving stocks from surplus areas to vulnerable districts before the planting window closed. "We typically plan with 15-20 per cent buffer for returns. This year's strong seed production has further strengthened our position. Many companies are having 20-30 per cent surplus stock," Rana told PTI in an interview. In scenarios where farmers may need to replant d

Barren land to biz model: How Project Chittoor bets on integrated farming

How a CSR initiative in Andhra Pradesh is turning fragmented landholdings into a diversified income machine

The 'maize revolution' could be India's next productivity-led farm success

Maize has emerged as India's fastest-growing field crop, boosting productivity, sustainability and farmer incomes while offering an alternative to surplus rice cultivation

Agriculture sector growth dips in FY26 amid decline in current prices

Q4 growth recovers in FY26 due to good rabi harvest, say experts

Agriculture needs dual approach to tackle El Nino, build climate resilience

El Nino is a natural phenomenon in the eastern Pacific Ocean that influences global weather patterns, including India's monsoon

India scales down kharif 2026 fertiliser requirement to 38.39 mn tonnes

India currently has around 19.98 million tonnes of fertilisers in stock, which means it has almost 52 per cent of the total reassessed requirement in stock as of today

Farmer groups welcome Centre's pullback of changes to Sugarcane Control law

Farmer organisations and political leaders have welcomed the Centre's decision to withdraw proposed amendments to the Sugarcane Control Order, saying it would protect growers and small processors

Centre plans farmer outreach campaign from June on soil over El Nino worry

Centre will begin a month-long 'Save the Fields' campaign from June 1, offering crop-specific advisories and climate-resilient farming guidance as IMD lowers its monsoon forecast

Govt raises paddy MSP by ₹72 to ₹2,441/quintal for 2026-27 Kharif season

The government on Wednesday raised the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy by Rs 72 to Rs 2,441 per quintal for the 2026-27 kharif marketing season. A decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The support price for common and A-grade varieties has been increased by Rs 72 per quintal to Rs 2,441 and Rs 2,461 per quintal, respectively, for the 2026-27 kharif marketing season (September-October). Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the MSP is 50 per cent more than the cost of production. "Estimated payout to farmers would be Rs 2.60 lakh crore and annual procurement estimated at 824.41 lakh tonne," he added.

Why food irradiation in India faces viability test despite export promise

Despite high post-harvest losses and strong export demand, food irradiation remains limited in India due to high costs, low farmer incentives and weak infrastructure

El Niño 2026: Why India's rural economy may weather the storm better this time

IMD flags a 31 per cent probability of "below normal" monsoon and a 35 per cent chance of rainfall below 90 per cent of LPA-risks for agriculture, heatwaves, and demand

Best of BS Opinion: Trump tariffs, euthanasia, rupee and farms

Today's Opinion page covers Trump's tariff strategy, the Supreme Court's passive euthanasia ruling, rupee depreciation amid West Asia tensions, farm diversification and a Syria war book review

Livestock and fisheries emerge as powerful challengers to crop farming

India's farm sector is steadily shifting from cereals to high-value segments like horticulture, livestock, and fisheries - sectors now emerging as key drivers of rural incomes

Need to make Indian agri products export-oriented, globally-competitive: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked farmers to leverage India's diverse climatic conditions and focus on scaling up the harvest of high-value crops to enable the country's agri products to effectively compete in global markets. Addressing a post-budget webinar on 'Agriculture and Rural Transformation', Modi said steps need to be taken to promote all aspects of "quality, branding and standards" of Indian agriculture produce. Agri experts, industry and farmers will have to come together to achieve this goal, he said. "Today the markets of the world are opening, and global demand is changing... It is necessary to have more discussion on making our agriculture export-oriented. We have a diverse climate, and we must take full advantage of it. We are rich in agro-climatic zones," he said in his third post-budget webinar. The Budget for 2026-27 has also focussed on high-value agriculture, including cashew, cocoa, sandalwood, Modi said, adding the National Mission on Edible Oil and

No market opened for agriculture in India-US trade deal, says Chouhan

Chouhan said that, rather than compromising farmers' interests, the trade deal will open new avenues of opportunity for crops such as rice

Shift from cereals to horticulture gains pace across Indian farms

The past decade has seen farmers slowly but steadily expand acreage under more lucrative fruits and vegetables, signalling a gradual diversification away from cereal crops

Industry flags 'licence raj' concerns in draft Pesticides Management Bill

Plant protection industries say the draft Pesticides Management Bill risks fostering 'licence raj' and hampering research, citing sweeping inspector powers, price controls and unclear licensing terms

Govt to push green fuel farm machinery to boost mechanisation: Agri secy

The government will prioritise green fuel-based farm machinery and enhance access to mechanisation for small and marginal farmers as part of India's vision to become a global food basket by 2047, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said on Thursday. Addressing the ninth edition of EIMA Agrimach event organised by FICCI here, Chaturvedi said mechanisation is crucial for achieving the four key objectives of increasing farmers' income -- reducing farming costs, boosting productivity, improving price realisation through value addition, and building climate resilience. "Over the next 5-10 years, we should shift our technologies towards green fuels -- whether electrically operated tractors or machines running on CBG (compressed biogas) available from rural CBG plants," he said. The agriculture secretary said this transition will bring down both maintenance and operational costs for farmers, and government schemes will increasingly prioritise green fuel-based technologies. He also cal

Low prices dampen sentiment in rabi sowing season despite good outlook

Things are in place for a good rabi harvest. But farmers must contend with poor prices for their kharif harvest. And that may have a knock-on effect on rabi prices in a vicious cycle

Extended rains may hit rural consumption: AWL Agri Biz top executives

While talking about crop damage, Mallick said that groundnut crop has gone bad. The same was witnessed with the paddy crop in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh