As many as 23 swarms of locusts had entered India from Pakistan and experts said they were unlikely to move out before July-end.
Farmers question calculation method, say returns remain inadequate
The government also approved an equity scheme for MSMEs worth Rs 50,000 crore
The farmers would be paid Rs 10,000 per acre for paddy, corn and sugarcane crops, based on the registered and procured area for the kharif season
Analysts have cut earnings estimates due to labour and logistic issues in India, demand and price overhang in international business
In addition, West Bengal will also request the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to increase the additional credit limit to MSMEs, to 30 per cent from the existing 10 per cent.
While farmers are likely to be hard-pressed for liquidity, other challenges include labour shortage and availability of seeds and agrochemicals
Labour shortages, transportation issues impede the movement from manufacturer to distributor and retailer
Shortage of labour with expertise to plant paddy has prompted the state to encourage farmers to grow less labour-intensive crops
With normal monsoon forecast this year, they want to take advantage of pre-monsoon showers
Will need Rs 35,000 crore to buy all the standing crops in the state
State has paid farmers nearly Rs 7,250 cr for the crop so far; full-year procurement target set at 5 mn tonnes
State is targetting procurement of 5 mn tonnes of the crop by Feb 2020
Substituting Kharif paddy with other remunerative crops (like cotton, maize, soybean, fruits and vegetables, etc suiting the market) is one solution, says Padhee
In Kharif, corn and veggies crops also helped
For millions of farmers in northern, central and western India, the excessive rain this monsoon season did aggravate problems but have also given hope of a good rabi harvest
Foodgrains production stood at 141.71 million tonnes in the kharif season of the 2018-19 crop year
The reduced shortfall is largely because of good rainfall after-June, the government's first advanced estimate of 2019-20 foodgrains and commercial crop production has revealed
Barring a few areas that were affected by flooding due to torrential rains, agricultural dept officials say that overall the state has gained from the recent spell
The jute industry struggled to meet its supply commitments for packing food grains in June and July