Agriculture Ministry

DigiClaim launched for National Crop Insurance Portal's claim disbursal

With the launch of the module, claims will be disbursed electronically, which will benefit the respective farmers of six states

Need to reach out to farmers with tech amid climate change challenge: Tomar

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday stressed the need to reach out to all farmers with new technologies and research amid the challenges of climate change. Addressing the 94th Annual General Meeting of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Society, Tomar said agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and the sector must be further developed. "Various challenges like Climate Change are before us today. We are also facing the challenge of damage caused to the standing crops of the farmers due to natural disasters. In new India, we have to reach out to all the farmers with new technology and research," he said. He lauded the contribution of the ICAR scientists in boosting the farm sector so far and said more research efforts are required to make a new India by 2047. The minister also said India's supremacy in the farm sector is increasing all over the world and even expectations are also rising, according to an official statement. On the agricultu

Three Centre of Excellence to be set up for fruits, vegetables: Agri Min

The Agriculture Ministry on Friday said three Centre of Excellence (CoE) will be set up for dragon fruit, mango, vegetables and flowers at Bengaluru, Jajpur and Goa. The ministry "has approved 49 CoEs till now, out of which 3 CoEs have been approved on March 9, 2023" under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), an official statement said. One CoE for Kamlam (Dragon Fruit) will be set up by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) at experimental station Hirehalli in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The second CoE for mango and vegetables will be set up under the Indo-Israel Action Plan at Panikoili, Jajpur District, Odisha. The third CoE for vegetables and flowers under the Indo-Israel Action Plan will be established at a government agricultural farm in Ponda, South Goa. Under the MIDH, Centers of Excellence are being established in various states through Bilateral Cooperation or Research Institutes. These CoEs serve as demonstration and training centres

Guj govt announces Rs 330 crore to transport and store potatoes, onions

The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced a Rs 330-crore package for onion and potato cultivators for transportation and storage amid a drop in rates. State Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel told the Assembly that Gujarat is likely to produce seven lakh tonne of red onions in 2023. "Marketing yards in the Saurashtra region are likely to receive 3.50 lakh tonne produce for sale, for which the government will provide an assistance of Rs 70 crore by providing an additional Rs 2 per kg for sale through Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC). Onion farmers will get an assistance of Rs 20 crore for transportation (of the produce) to other states and abroad," he said. The government has also decided to provide financial aid of Rs 240 crore to potato growers affected by a fall in prices due to high production, the minister said. This aid will be provided in the form of storage and transportation cost for the sale of potatoes in other states and outside the country. (Of the Rs 2

Congress promises MSP with legal guarantee under Swaminathan panel

The Congress on Sunday promised farmers will be given minimum support price (MSP) with legal guarantee under C2 formula of M.S. Swaminathan Commission

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana extended to across Jammu and Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir government has extended Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to the farmers of all 20 districts of the union territory, an official said on Friday.

Wheat crop in good condition; govt's wheat procurement to be normal: FCI MD

Wheat crop is in good condition and the government's procurement would be normal at 300-400 lakh tonne in the 2023-24 marketing year starting March, FCI Chairman and Managing Director Ashok K Meena said on Thursday. "Area sown to wheat is higher than last year. The current condition of wheat crop is very good. Our procurement should be normal at 300-400 lakh tonne in 2023-24," Meena said in a press conference. The wheat procurement had declined last year due to a fall in domestic production and higher exports, he said. Asked whether there would be any impact on wheat crop due to rise in temperature, as forecast by the Met Department, Meena said it is unlikely to have any impact and the short duration crop will not be affected. The government has projected a record wheat production at 112.18 million tonne in the 2023-24 crop year (July-June) as per the second estimate of the agriculture ministry. Last year, wheat procurement for the central pool had declined to 187.92 lakh tonne fr

Wheat crop reaches vegetative phase in MP, parts of Punjab, Haryana

Wheat crop has reached the maximum vegetative stage in Madhya Pradesh, parts of Punjab and Haryana, according to the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC). Whereas in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, wheat crop is yet to reach the maximum vegetative phase due to delay in sowing, it said in its latest report. The life cycle of a wheat plant is divided into three main development phases, namely the vegetative phase, in which leafs and tillers are developed; the reproductive phase, and the grain fill stage. The wheat crop normally enters the grain fill stage in March and any unusual rise in temperature could cause yield damage. Wheat is the main rabi crop, the harvesting of which will begin from end of next month. The government has projected a record wheat output of 112.18 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year (July-June). The government has set up a committee to monitor impact of rise in temperature on the wheat crop in order to avoid the repeat of last year when the

Centre to add 60 more seats in NIAM, scrap compulsory stay in hostel

Asserting that youth should be attracted towards farm sector, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday announced that the Centre will add 60 more seats in the PG Diploma in Agri Business Management course offered by Jaipur-based Chaudhary Charan Singh National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (CCS-NIAM). The government will also abolish the provision of compulsory stay in a hostel, Tomar said addressing the fourth convocation of CCS-NIAM in Jaipur. Currently, the intake of students is about 60 for PG Diploma in AgriBusiness Management. "To bring more benefits to the agriculture sector in the country and to make the villages more prosperous, the students and youth associated with agriculture should also contribute," an official statement quoted the minister as saying at the event in Jaipur. The agriculture sector is important and youth should also be attracted towards it, he said, adding that there are many challenges in the farm sector, which the central government is

Rs 15,626 cr sanctioned under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, says Govt

Loans amounting to Rs 15,626 cr have been sanctioned under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund to create 21,380 infrastructure units

G20: Union Agriculture Minister calls for renewed faith in multilateralism

Underlining the need for a renewed faith in multilateralism, Union Agriculture Minister said India is developing rapidly due to science and innovation

Centre to expedite crop insurance for kharif 2021 season to Barmer farmers

The Centre on Wednesday said it will expedite the payment of a Rs 540 crore claim of the kharif 2021 season to eligible farmers of Barmer district, Rajasthan

Huge potential to boost exports of processed food: Trade Promotion Council

India's agri exports are growing at a healthy pace and there is a need to focus on the processed food sector as it holds huge potential to boost the country's outbound shipments, Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) said on Sunday. Keeping this in mind, the council's three-day IndusFood expo kickstarted on January 8 in Hyderabad. It was inaugurated by Additional Secretary in the commerce ministry Rajesh Agrawal and Joint Secretary in the ministry Srikar K Reddy. Speaking on the occasion, Agrawal said there is a need to create global brands in the food and beverages industry. Ideally, we need to create 50 brands, then we will be able to do our job well. We must think globally and build brands. We must pay serious attention on how to promote Indian cuisine abroad, TPCI said in a statement quoting Agrawal. He added that though India is doing well in the agri exports front, our share of processed food is less than 1 per cent in exports of processed food category. We must aspire to

Agri Min sets up 30,934 organic clusters, benefitting 1.5 mn farmers

Giving special impetus to organic farming, the Agriculture Ministry has set up 30,934 clusters and an area of 6.19 lakh ha, benefitting 1.54 mn farmers, which increased to 32,384 clusters

Wheat acreage up 3.18% at 31.2 million ha so far; crop prospects bright

Area sown to wheat has increased by 3.18 per cent to 312.26 lakh hectares (ha) so far in the ongoing rabi (winter) season with higher acreage reported from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, according to the agriculture ministry's data released on Friday. Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja on Thursday had said the crop prospects were bright as the current weather conditions are conducive for plant growth and better yields. Sowing of wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, begins in October while harvesting in April. Mustard seed and gram are other major crops sown in the rabi season of the 2022-23 crop year (July-June). As per the ministry's data, wheat has been sown in 312.26 lakh ha as of December 23 of the ongoing rabi season, as against 302.61 lakh ha in the year-ago period. "Thus 9.65 lakh hectare more area has been covered compared to last year," the ministry said. Higher area is reported from Rajasthan (1.99 lakh ha), followed by Gujarat (1.74 lakh ha), Uttar Pradesh (1.57 la

Amaravati farmers protest against AP govt's plan for three state capitals

A large number of farmers from Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh organised a protest here against the state government's plan for bringing a law to develop three capitals instead of one, with MPs from various parties joining them to extend their support. TDP members, including Jayadev Galla and K Rammohan Naidu, BSP's Danish Ali and YRS Congress' K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, a dissident leader in the state's ruling party, were among the MPs besides several other leaders, including from the Congress and the Left, who expressed their support to the farmers protesting under the banner of the 'Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi', according to a statement. Farmers have demanded that the state government should stick to the earlier plan of having one capital city in Amaravati as envisaged by former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. "Farmers want the government to honour its earlier commitment. Their land has been taken in lieu of developing the capital in Amaravati but now the government is ...

Nafed buys 24,000 tonnes moong so far under price support scheme

The government has procured 24,000 tonnes of green gram (moong) under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) so far this crop year, according to a senior agriculture ministry official. PSS, which is under the Agriculture Ministry, is operationalised only when prices of agri-produce fall below the minimum support price (MSP). Cooperative Nafed is undertaking procurement on behalf of the central government. The ministry has approved procurement of 4,00,000 tonnes of kharif moong in 10 states including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and Maharashtra. "So far 24,000 tonnes of moong has been procured, out of which maximum 18,000 to 19,000 tonnes has been procured in Karnataka alone," the ministry official told PTI. The ministry has also given approval for the procurement of 2,94,000 tonnes of urad and 14 lakh tonnes of groundnut crop grown in the 2022-23 Kharif season. However, the procurement couldn't take place as the mandi prices are .

Wheat sowing up 5.36% in first two months of rabi season, shows data

Area sown to wheat has increased by 5.36 per cent annually to 211.62 lakh hectares in the first two months of the ongoing rabi (winter) season, with higher coverage being reported in Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, according to the agricultural ministry data released on Friday. Sowing of wheat, the main rabi crop, begins in October and harvesting in March-April. Besides wheat, rice and pulses, such as gram, urad as well as oilseeds such as groundnut and mustard are also grown in this season. According to the ministry's latest data, wheat has been sown in 211.62 lakh hectares so far in the current rabi season as against 200.85 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Higher area has been sown in Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Punjab. Area sown to rice has increased marginally to 10.62 lakh hectares as on December 2 of the ongoing rabi season as against 9.53 lakh hectares in the same period last year. Pulses acreage has also increased ...

Agriculture, allied activities clock a buoyant 4.6% growth in 2nd quarter

Gross value added (GVA) for agriculture, forestry and fishing during the comparable period of last year was 3.2 per cent

Re-design and deliver

Govt crop insurance scheme needs radical rethink