Explore Business Standard
Agriculture Minister
The government is ready to provide Rs 6,000 annual cash benefit under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi to all eligible farmers who are not part of it yet, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. He asked all state governments to cooperate with the Centre in identifying such farmers and ensuring their inclusion in the scheme. "If anyone is left behind, please help us include all of them under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. We will ensure that such farmers also get the past instalments," Chouhan said during the Question Hour. All eligible beneficiaries must possess at least one piece of land, get eKYC done and register themselves at the PMKISAN portal, the minister said. He added that the fund is directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000. "We will ensure that all of these farmers get their dues without even a single day of delay," he said while asserting that the Narendra Modi government is ..
The government is trying to bring policy-level changes for simplifying agriculture, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said and indicated that providing subsidies on fertiliser, seed and farming equipment through direct benefit transfer could be considered in the future. In an interaction with farmers, who were invited to witness the Republic Day parade as special guests, at his residence here on Monday, the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister said the government spends up to Rs 2,00,000 crore on fertiliser subsidies. "The fertiliser subsidy that the government gives costs to the tune of Rs 2,00,000 crore. A sack of urea costs Rs 265 to the farmers, but it costs Rs 2,400. The subsidy goes to the company. The fertilizer is also used for other purposes... If there is a reliable system, farmers can be given the subsidy directly in their accounts," Chouhan said. "The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi's cost comes to around Rs 60,000 crore, if the fertilizer subsidy is given throu
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan on Tuesday criticised the Delhi government for not implementing several central schemes meant for farmers, calling it "extremely unfortunate" that farmers in the region were being deprived of crucial benefits. Responding to a query in the Lok Sabha during the Question Hour, Chauhan urged the Delhi government to prioritise the welfare of farmers and implement beneficial schemes, particularly in areas surrounding the national capital. "I request the Delhi government to implement farmer-centric schemes for the benefit of farmers as there is agricultural land and farming activity around Delhi," he added. "The Centre works in coordination with state governments to ensure its schemes reach farmers. It is extremely unfortunate that the Delhi government is not availing of the benefits of many schemes, which is ultimately affecting the farmers," Chauhan said. Referring to the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism for organic fertilisers, th
The Narendra Modi government will purchase all farm produce at minimum support price, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in Rajya Sabha on Friday. He gave the assurance while answering supplementaries during Question Hour on the issue of MSP to farmers. The assertion came on a day when farmers are planning to embark on a foot march to Delhi with their demands. "I want to assure the house through you that all produce of farmers will be purchased at minimum support price. This is the Modi government and the guarantee to fulfil Modi's guarantee," Chouhan told the house. "When our friends from the other side were in power, they had stated on record that they cannot accept the M S Swaminathan Commission recommendations, especially on giving 50 per cent more than the cost of produce. I have the record," he said. He cited former MoS Agriculture Kantilal Bhuria, Agriculture Ministers Sharad Pawar, and K V Thomas to back his claim. After his remarks, Chairman Jagdeep ..
The cost of 20 irrigation projects commenced between 1983 and 2018 in Telangana doubled from over Rs 1 lakh crore to Rs 2 lakh crore as on March 2023, due to non-completion, the CAG report has said. According to the report (for 2022-23) by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) which was placed in the state legislature on Friday, non-completion of projects deprives the state of the intended benefits of economic growth and there was no assurance on returns from the investments in irrigation and flood control as the state government did not disclose financial results of any of the irrigation projects. "There were 20 incomplete irrigation projects (commenced between 1983 and 2018) to be completed by the year 2023. The original cost of these projects has increased from Rs 1,02,388 crore to Rs 2,06,977 crore i.e., an escalation by Rs 1,04,589 crore (102 per cent)," the auditing watchdog said. An expenditure of Rs 1,73,564 crore was incurred on these projects as of March 2023. In ...
Agriculture has been a key focus area of development strategy in India, and the country has achieved the highest growth rate of 5 per cent in the farm sector during the seven years from 2016-17 to 2022-23, Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said on Saturday. Addressing the 32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE), Chand said that according to the World Bank data, India achieved the highest growth rate in GDP agriculture in the world in the last 10 years. "Agriculture has been a key focus area of development strategy in India, and the country has achieved historically the highest growth rate of 5 per cent during the seven-year period from 2016-17 to 2022-23," he noted. The agriculture economist pointed out that the share of agriculture in the world GDP has risen from 3.2 per cent in 2006 to 4.3 per cent in recent years. "Agricultural growth in the last 15 years has saved many countries from economic collapse. Due to the poor effort of industry in pulling the labou
A three-member team of Union ministers on Thursday held a detailed discussion here with the leaders of farmer organisations which plan 'Delhi Chalo' march to press for their demands, including a law to guarantee a minimum support price for crops. After the meeting, the farmer leaders said the Central ministers have assured them that they would hold second round of the meeting soon. However, the farmer leaders said their proposed 'Delhi Chalo' march on February 13 still stands. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who coordinated with the farmer leaders for arranging the meeting, also participated in it. Mann, however, said the ministers and farmer leaders agreed on many things including withdrawal of cases registered against farmers during the previous agitation against the now-repealed farm laws and strict punishment for fake seeds and chemicals. The Central team comprised Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai, who flew down to Chandigarh to reach out to farm
The country's wheat production is expected to be good this year amid higher coverage, according to Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda. The sowing of wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, that began in October has been completed. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab are the top three states having the maximum area under wheat coverage. "As per the sowing data, wheat has been covered in more area and we expect good production this year," Munda told PTI. As per the ministry's data, the total acreage under the wheat crop remained higher at 336.96 lakh hectares till the last week of the current rabi season of the 2023-24 crop year (July-June), as against 335.67 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. On January 3, Food Corporation of India Chairman and Managing Director Ashok K Meena indicated that the country could achieve a new record in wheat production at 114 million tonnes in the ongoing 2023-24 crop year provided weather conditions remain normal. Wheat production stood at a record
The country's masur (lentil) production is estimated to touch an all-time high of 1.6 million tonnes in the 2023-24 rabi season on higher acreage, according to Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh. Masur production stood at 1.55 million tonnes in the 2022-23 rabi season, as per the official data. Despite being the world's largest producer and consumer of pulses, India imports certain pulses, including masur and tur, to meet domestic shortages. "This year, masur production is going to be at an all-time high. Our masur production will be the highest in the world. The acreage has increased. The dynamic is changing," Singh said at an event organised by the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC) on Friday. In the ongoing rabi season, more area has been brought under the masur crop. The total masur acreage has increased to 1.94 million hectare as of January 12 in the ongoing rabi season, when compared to 1.83 million hectare in the year-ago period, according to the agriculture ministry
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday asked global food regulators to keep farmers at centre stage while framing food safety regulations and ensure they get the right price for their produce. Addressing the Global Food Regulators Summit 2023 here, Tomar said food is a basic right for every person and therefore, it is important to ensure the availability of food and global food safety. The summit is being organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Health Ministry. The minister highlighted that the Indian government has taken many steps to boost production and productivity in the agriculture sector, and the country is a surplus state in foodgrain production. India also strives to fulfil the requirement of global food demand, Tomar said. He also emphasised that regulations on processing, packaging and labelling of food products must ensure food safety and said the food regulator FSSAI is doing a great job in this aspect. The
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday stressed on the need to improve crop productivity as the country requires to increase farm production to meet domestic requirement and export to global markets. The minister inaugurated a Summit on Farm Machinery Technology organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Tractor and Mechanization Association (TMA). Addressing the event, Tomar highlighted that the agriculture production has increased substantially over the years thanks to the hardwork of farmers and scientists as well as policies of the government. He said the country's population will rise by 2050, and therefore there is a need to prepare a roadmap to meet the requirement of foodgrains and other farm products. "...we do not have to rest on our laurels, rather we have to prepare a roadmap keeping in view the requirement of the population that will increase by 2050...," Tomar said. With the growing importance of India in the world, Tomar said there
Biomass market in India is expected to reach Rs 32,000 crore by FY2030-31 piggybacking on government schemes as well as investments from global green energy companies, according to a report. The launch of new schemes in the support of biomass cogeneration projects is playing a crucial role in the capacity additions of small biogas plants located in remote and rural parts of India, the report by 1Lattice, a technology-enabled decision support organisation, said. The Indian biomass market is attracting investments from global green energy companies. There is a growing demand for the supply of clean and reliable power to businesses in India and biomass as a source of energy is expected to play a crucial role in meeting the power demand, the report explained. Abhishek Maiti, Director, 1Lattice in a statement said, "India currently has an installed capacity of 10.2 GW for biomass production and the biomass market in India is expected to reach Rs 32,000 crore by FY'31." Investments and