‘Increasing farm output is hard given the fragility of the natural resource base’ Feeding a hungry planet is growing increasingly difficult as climate change and depletion of land and other resources undermine food systems, the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization said on Wednesday as it renewed appeals for better policies and technologies to reach “zero hunger.” Population growth requires supplies of more nutritious food at affordable prices, but increasing farm output is hard given the “fragility of the natural resource base” since humans have outstripped Earth’s carrying capacity in terms of land, water and climate change, the report said. About 820 million people are malnourished. The FAO and International Food Policy Research Institute released the report at the outset
Month: November 2018
Making farmers do wonders with this grass
Vetiver, ‘the wonder grass’ of Tamil Nadu, which has a wide range of applications in the pharma and cosmetic industries, besides anti-soil erosion properties, is spreading roots in the State.The grass, which grows up to five feet and whose fragrant root reaches up to 10 feet, has huge global demand in the aromatic industry. The grass is popular for its quality to combat soil erosion and absorb carbon dioxide, thus erasing carbon footprints. In the last few years, niche products have been created with vetiver by value addition.Vetiver is ideal for the long coastline, as it is suited for sandy soil, says C.K. Ashok Kumar of the India Vetiver Network, which is involved in popularising cultivation in association with
Is crop insurance scheme losing steam?
Of the 84 lakh farmers who withdrew, 68.31 lakh are from the four BJP-ruled States: reply to RTI More than 84 lakh farmers, which is around 15% of the total farmers insured in the first year of the Union government’s ambitious Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in 2016-17, withdrew themselves from the scheme in 2017-18, a reply to an RTI application has revealed. It includes 68.31 lakh farmers from the four Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled States of Madhya Pradesh, Maharasthra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.Profit margins The crop insurance companies, including Reliance, ICICI, HDFC and IFFCO, among others, have registered a total profit of around ₹15,795 crore since the launch of the scheme, though the final profit margins could change since the
New index to check ease of doing agri-business
States may soon start receiving extra funding for the Agriculture Ministry’s flagship schemes on the basis of their performance in encouraging agri-business, especially with regard to marketing, land and governance reforms.The Centre expects to roll out a new Ease of Doing Agri-Business Index early next year, which will rank the States on the basis of such reforms, as well as their investment in agriculture, increased productivity, reduction of input costs, and risk mitigation measures. “In future, the Ministry may consider rewarding the higher performing States [both in absolute and incremental terms] by linking the performance with allocation from flexi funds made available in various flagship schemes of this Ministry,” says a recent concept note for the Index.NITI Aayog already
Why are onion prices fluctuating?
What is the problem?Onion prices peaked in mid-October in parts of the country on account of squeezed supplies from the key bulb-growing States, bringing to the fore the recurring price volatility of this vegetable which the country witnesses almost every alternate season.The wholesale onion prices at the Lasalgaon Agricultural Produce Market Committee — the country’s largest wholesale onion market in Maharasthra — ruled ₹22-23 a kg in mid-October on tight supplies as supply had dropped. Consequently, the retail prices jumped, and in the national capital New Delhi, the price hit ₹40 a kg, before the Union government reviewed the price and availability of onion and asked the Delhi government to make onion available through its public distribution system outlets
‘Bhungroo’ brings hope where dry spells prevail
M.S. Shanmugasundaram grows curry leaves, vegetables, jasmine and, if there is water, bananas on his eight-acre farm near Coimbatore.Normally, there is rainfall for three months a year in his area making him dependent on open wells, borewells and the rainfall for water. However, Mr. Shanmugasundaram has also faced days when all the water sources on his land had gone almost dry when the northeast monsoon failed. Hope came for Mr. Shanmugasundaram in the form of Firmenich, a Geneva-based perfumery, along with its joint venture partner Jasmine Concrete. They provided funds for setting up Bhungroo, a water-harvesting system, on his land in August last year.Firmenich sources flowers, gum and essential oils from a number of farmers in the country through