Page 2 - Ministry Of Agriculture

Facing price crash: Mustard farmers cry for help, better market avenues

Samay Singh, a mustard seed grower in Gudawali village, is busy harvesting but is worried that he may not get a better price for his produce this year as the wholesale rate in mandi here has already crashed below the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 5,450 per quintal. Last year, Singh had harvested three quintals of mustard seed in his half acre land and sold at an average rate of Rs 7,000 per quintal. This year, yield is higher as there was no pest infestation and he expects production of at least four quintals but fears he may not get even MSP this time. Harikishan Sharma, a farmer from Dheeg block, is shocked at the mustard prices which began falling from October 2022 onwards, much before the harvesting and somewhere feels the cheaper palmolien imports is the culprit. In the last three months, mustard prices have fallen from Rs 8,000 per quintal to Rs 5,200 per quintal in Bharatpur mandis, the hub for mustard production and processors, according to these farmers. Farmers in thi

Government to soon launch seed traceability system: Agriculture Minister

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday said the government will soon launch a seed traceability system to ensure the availability of good quality seeds to the farmers. "This will curb the pilferage in the seed trade sector," Tomar said addressing a two-day Indian Seed Congress organized by the National Seed Association of India here in the national capital. Farmers will benefit from its launch and the people doing good work in the seeds sector will also get help, an official statement quoted Tomar having said at the event. The government is concerned about obstacles faced in the seeds sector. The suggestions have been received from the stakeholders on the seed traceability system, he added. Taking into account the rising population and the challenge of climate change, Tomar said everyone engaged in the farm sector should be ready to meet the future needs of India and the world. He also called on stakeholders of the seeds sector to contribute to make the country ...

Nano-DAP included in Fertilizer Control Order paving way for early release

DAP is the second most consumed fertilizer in the country after urea and out of the estimated annual consumption of around 10-12.5 mn tonnes; local production is around 4-5 mn tonnes, rest is imported

Ministry of Agriculture approves launch of IFFCO's nano DAP fertiliser

Cooperative organisation IFFCO, which introduced nano liquid urea, said on Friday that the government has approved the launch of its nano DAP fertiliser in the market. IFFCO MD U S Awasthi tweeted that IFFCO's nano DAP has been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and notified in the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) based on its encouraging results. "IFFCO will manufacture #NanoDAP; a game changer for Indian agriculture & economy," he tweeted. In December, Awasthi had said IFFCO would soon launch nano DAP at Rs 600 per 500 ml bottle, a move that would help India save foreign exchange and reduce government subsidy significantly. He announced that nano DAP will be sold at Rs 600 per bottle of 500 ml. One bottle will be equivalent to one bag of DAP, which currently costs Rs 1,350. IFFCO was also planning to launch nano potash, nano zinc and nano copper fertilisers, he had said. In June 2021, IFFCO launched nano urea in liquid form as an alternative to conventional urea. It has also

Farmers rights to be protected during food processing modernisation: MoS

As the Centre moves to modernise the food processing sector of the country, it will also protect the rights and interests of farmers, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Food Processing and Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel said here on Friday. The Minister, who is presently in the southern state, gave the assurance while visiting the CSIR-National Institute For Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) at Pappanamcode here during the day, a government statement said. Scientists at the Institute apprised the Minister of the activities of NIIST and he also viewed a presentation on the progress of various projects of the institute, it said. Patel visited various labs at NIIST and the officials briefed him about the eco-friendly products manufactured there, it further said and added that the Minister also planted a sapling in the institute's campus. He later visited MoS External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan who is undergoing treatment at KIMS hospital in ...

Farmers crowd swell at 'seed counter' on first day of Pusa agri-mela

Hundreds of farmers, who thronged to the famous 'Krishi Vigyan Mela' held at the Pusa campus here on Thursday, had to face a lot of inconvenience while buying seeds and complained about poor management by the organiser IARI. The rush for buying seeds was so much that the Delhi Police had to intervene to control the crowd. The seed counter was also well guarded by security personnel to avoid commotion. The three-day annual 'Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela', organised by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday. The sale of seeds developed by IARI has always been the main attraction of the mela and farmers from states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Bihar travel long distances just to buy the "quality Pusa seeds". A huge counter has been set up for sale of seeds at mela, where IARI plans to sell paddy seeds, including basmati rice varieties as well as moong till March 4. On the first day of

Cotton growers to get water from April, says Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday reviewed the preparedness of the state government to supply canal water to cotton cultivators from April 1. Chairing a meeting of the irrigation department here, the chief minister said from April 1, canal water has to be made available for cotton crop cultivation to farmers, according to an official release. He said the water supply must be ensured in the cotton belt of the state. Mann asked the officers to ensure uninterrupted and adequate canal water supply at the tail ends to ensure sufficient water supply for the cotton crop. Police should be deputed to check stealing of canal water so as to avoid any sort of inconvenience to the farmers, he said. Mann also asked the officers to ensure proper cleaning and desilting of the entire canal system.

Biomass market in India expected to reach Rs 32,000 cr by FY31: Report

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

PM releases Rs 16,000 cr to farmers in latest installment under PM-KISAN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released the 13th instalment of over Rs 16,000 crore, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), through direct benefit transfer to more than eight crore beneficiaries. Under the scheme, eligible farmer families are provided Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each. During the programme, Modi also dedicated the redeveloped Belagavi Railway Station building, to the nation. The railway station has been redeveloped at an approximate cost of about Rs 190 crore to provide world-class amenities to the passengers. Another railway project that was dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister is the rail line doubling project between Londa-Belagavi-Ghataprabha section at Belagavi. This project, developed at a cost of about Rs 930 crore, will enhance line capacity along the busy Mumbai Pune Hubballi Bengaluru railway line, leading to promotion of trade, commerce and economic activities in the region, according to a

PM Modi to release 13th instalment of Rs 16,800cr under PM-KISAN on Monday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 13th instalment of financial benefits worth Rs 16,800 crore to over eight crore eligible farmers under the flagship PM-KISAN scheme on Monday ahead of Holi and rabi harvesting. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), eligible farmers are provided with a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each every four months. The fund is directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The scheme was launched in February 2019 but is being implemented with effect from December 2018. The Prime Minister will release the 13th instalment at an event to be held at Belagavi, Karnataka, an official statement said on Sunday. More than one lakh attendees, comprising PM-KISAN and Jal Jeevan Mission beneficiaries are expected to take part in the event. The Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja will also be present. The 11th and 12th instalmen

Government has sold 1.8 mn Tonnes wheat in open market to scale down prices

Food Corporation of India (FCI) has sold 1.805 million metric tonnes of wheat in the open market through three e-auctions till date

Paddy procurement over 70 mn tonnes, Rs 1,45,845 crore MSP paid to farmers

Paddy procurement in this Kharif season has crossed 700 LMT mark and MSP of about Rs 1,45,845 crore has been paid to farmers, officials said on Tuesday.

Cabinet approves plan to set up 2 lakh PACS, dairy, fishery cooperatives

Seeking to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country, the union Cabinet on Wednesday approved setting up of 2 lakh Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) and dairy-fishery cooperatives in uncovered villages and panchayats over the next five years. At present, there are around 63,000 functional PACS in the country. The Cabinet approved steps to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country and deepen its reach up to the grassroots. The plan is to establish PACS in each uncovered panchayat, viable dairy cooperatives in each uncovered panchayat/village and viable fishery cooperatives in each coastal panchayat/village as well as panchayat/village having large water bodies. The initial target is to establish 2 lakh multipurpose PACS/dairy/fishery cooperatives in the next five years, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said at a Cabinet briefing. The plan will be implemented with the convergence of various schemes by leveraging the 'whole of government' approach. The proposal

Centre planning to introduce measures to bring down fertiliser subsidy

Centre's focus is to bring down the cost of gas which is a key component for production of urea. Information from official sources indicated that bids, some of which stood at more than $30

GM-free India alleges regulatory lapses in nod granted to DMH-11 mustard

Claims 15 instances of compromise of country's established regulatory regime in report released just days before Supreme Court again hears matter on GM crops

Centre, states working together for development of Northeast: NS Tomer

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said that agriculture is the country's fastest growing sector and there will be no constraint of central funding for its development. Referring to the northeast, he said the Centre and the northeast states governments are working together to develop the agriculture sector given its potential for organic farming. Agriculture is the fastest growing sector in the country and the Center is making continuous efforts to make farming profitable. There will be no constraint of central funding for development of agriculture sector, the union minister said inaugurating the newly constructed administrative and academic buildings of Pasighat Agriculture College in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday. The Centre has endeavoured to establish a link between research and farming and provide scientific advice to farmers at the ground level. The setting up of the institute as visualised by Prime Minister Narendra

Skewing the mustard field: The Yellow Revolution's revival needed

Claims that GM mustard will lead to increased yield are incorrect; we must focus on other solutions

Steady pace: Wheat acreage rises 5.4% due to favourable prices

Highest week-on-week numbers since 2017-18; hopes of strong harvest

Centre says no decision on wheat sale in open markets to cool down prices

Assures adequate stocks if PMGKAY extended beyond December

Wheat acreage till Nov 18 up 15% YoY, record open market prices spur sowing

Centre refutes the assertion of artificial shortage of fertilisers in country