Page 2 - Agriculture

As kharif harvest gains momentum, what's in store for crop prices?

As the Kharif harvest season intensifies, crop prices may see shifts driven by increased arrivals, inflation pressures, and recent govt interventions aimed at stabilising key agricultural commodities

Centre may raise purchase price of cane ethanol by up to Rs 3 per litre

A formal Cabinet note could be moved in a few days after GoM nod

The DAP gap: Is the ongoing shortage real, and can it be mitigated?

As supplies of DAP have got squeezed, more and more growers are opting for complexes - mainly combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, and sulphur (NPKS) in various grades

UP govt holds talks with World Bank to boost agri, rural enterprise

The Uttar Pradesh government, the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and the World Bank on Friday held negotiations for the Rs 3,903 crore Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Growth and Rural Enterprise Ecosystem Strengthening project. The negotiations were held in New Delhi with Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh representing the state government, according to a statement here. The six-year project aims to revitalise the state's agriculture and allied sectors, enhance productivity and link smallholder farmers to high-value commodity clusters. Singh outlined the project's pivotal role in advancing the state's vision to achieve a trillion-dollar economy by 2030, it said. He highlighted that the project will support high-value crop clusters and establish a stronger fisheries ecosystem, with particular focus on the state's eastern and Bundelkhand regions, it added. The project will also create a digital agriculture platform to provide real-time insights to farmers, helping optimise resources

Rice output expected to grow 5.9% this kharif season, shows data

Pulses production projected to be the lowest in nine years

Crop prices show mixed trend in relation to their respective MSPs

Though food inflation has been running high largely due to a spike in vegetable prices, when it comes to cereals, oilseeds and pulses the picture is slightly mixed

Over 35% FPCs process multiple documents for registration: Survey

Access to crop insurance and agricultural machinery was limited, with 50 per cent of FPCs lacking crop insurance and 61 per cent without access to agricultural machinery

Haryana witnesses 29% decline in stubble burning incidents this year

There has been a 29 per cent decline in stubble burning incidents this year compared to the corresponding year-ago period due to the significant steps being taken by the Haryana government for crop residue management, it said on Monday. Acting on the directives of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, a state-specific scheme has been implemented to curb incidents of stubble burning, according to an official statement. This initiative provides financial assistance to farmers for crop residue management while setting zero-burning targets for panchayats. As a result of these efforts, there have been 713 recorded incidents of stubble burning this year, marking a 29 per cent reduction compared to the corresponding year-ago period, it said. However, strict action has been taken against law violators, the statement further said. Police cases have been registered against 192 farmers for burning stubble, it added. "So far, 334 challans have been issued and fines amounting to Rs 8.45 lakh recov

Centre launches mobile app FCI GRS to address grievances of rice millers

Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday launched a mobile application of FCI Grievance Redressal System (FCI GRS) for rice millers. This is one of the measures taken by the government to enhance transparency, accountability and stakeholder satisfaction. State-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the nodal agency for the procurement and distribution of food grains. Joshi noted that rice millers are important stakeholders and integral part of the food security system and said the government is "committed to their welfare". He said the mobile app will help in addressing their grievances. This mobile application is available for download on the Google Play Store for Android users. Joshi said the government is also working for farmers' welfare and also ensuring that consumers get food products at reasonable rates. Aligned with the Digital India initiative, the mobile application aims to improve responsiveness and accountability by providing rice millers with a convenient plat

Need to enhance collaboration between India, JICA in farm sector: Agri secy

Agriculture secretary Devesh Chaturvedi on Friday pitched for further collaboration between India and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in farm and allied sectors. The JICA has expressed interest in collaborating for integration of cutting-edge technologies like drones and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Indian agriculture. According to an official statement, Takuro Takeuchi, Chief Representative of JICA India, paid a courtesy visit to the agriculture secretary here. Chaturvedi congratulated Takeuchi on his recent appointment as JICA Chief Representative in India and expressed optimism for deepening collaboration between India and JICA in agriculture and allied sectors. The secretary emphasised the critical role of states in advancing India's agricultural development, noting that three ongoing JICA-assisted projects are currently being implemented in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana. He said there is a potential for further collaborative projects in other ...

Govt launches 21st livestock census, $25 mn fund for animal health security

Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Friday launched 21st Livestock Census which will be conducted till February next year at a cost of Rs 200 crore and said the availability of precise data will help the government frame policies for ensuring health security of animals and achieve higher growth in the sector. Singh, who is Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, also launched a USD 25 million 'Pandemic Fund Project' to strengthen animal health security in India for pandemic preparedness and response. Addressing an event, the minister said that this livestock census should be undertaken with full honesty and sincerity. He asked his ministry officials to monitor this census operation regularly. "The livestock census operation will be conducted with a budget of Rs 200 crore. The cost will be entirely funded by the central government," he told reporters. The report will come next year. The 21st Livestock Census, to be conducted during October 2024-February 2025 period, w

Mexico announces food, agri plan that could take country back to 1980s

Mexico's new president announced a new agriculture plan Tuesday that could make the country's food production and distribution look a lot more like it did in the 1980s, when meals in Mexico were dominated by tortillas, beans, instant coffee and cheap hot chocolate. Four decades ago, the ingredients for those meals were often bought at government stores that stocked a few basic goods. President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged Tuesday to revive those often shabby, limited government stores and continue efforts to achieve food sovereignty. It is about producing what we eat, Sheinbaum said of her policy, whose main focus will be on increasing bean and corn production. Sheinbaum appears to have a deep interest in boosting beans. On Monday, she said, It is much better to eat a bean taco than a bag of potato chips." Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegu said the focus would be on guaranteeing prices for farmers who grow corn used for tortillas and lowering tortilla prices by 10%, after prices ju

Bayer, Mitsubishi, Shell, Temasek to generate carbon credits for farmers

Bayer and Mitsubishi are global leaders in the agriculture space while Shell is big in energy

Uttar Pradesh eyes Rs 3,000 cr in seed production to boost cash crops

UP, with India's largest cultivable land area of 16.6 million hectares - over 80 per cent of which is irrigated - currently imports hybrid seeds primarily from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh

Rice stocks increases, new season supplies to bump up inventories

India needs nearly 38 million metric tons of rice to distribute the grain for free to 800 million beneficiaries of the world's biggest food welfare programme

Early dip in stubble fires offers brief relief, but pollution threat looms

Environment analysts say fire burning has just begun, with peak stubble burning expected in late October through early November

MSP conflict with govt pushes Punjab farmers into stubble burning

Minimum support price has been a bone of contention between the farmers in Punjab and the state and Centre

Eggs and chana fetch farmers biggest chunk of money spent by users

The papers have been authored by eminent agriculture economists and researchers including former Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices chairman Ashok Gulati

Key announcements by Modi cabinet: Agri schemes worth Rs 1 trln, classical language status & more

PM Modi launches projects related to agri, animal husbandry in Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched Rs 23,300 crore initiatives related to agriculture and animal husbandry sectors at Washim in Maharashtra. Modi, who is on a one-day visit to Maharashtra, arrived at the Nanded airport in the morning, from where he was flown to Washim in a helicopter. In Washim, he offered prayers at the Jagdamba Mata temple in Poharadevi. He later paid tributes to Sant Sevalal Maharaj and Sant Ramrao Maharaj at their 'samadhis' (memorials) in Poharadevi. The PM then inaugurated Banjara Virasat Museum, celebrating the rich heritage of Banjara community. During an event held later, Modi disbursed PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi's 18th instalment of Rs 20,000 crore to around 9.4 crore farmers. With the release of this instalment, around Rs 3.45 lakh crore have been released to farmers under this scheme, officials said. The PM also launched the 5th instalment of NaMo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana disbursing about Rs 2,000 crore. He inaugurated more than 7,5