The Cotton Development and Research Association (CDRA) of Southern India Mills’ Association has signed an agreement with Cotton Development Organisation and National Agricultural Research Organisation of Uganda to develop a cotton seed variety that will help increase the income of farmers in both the countries. B. Lakshminarayana, former chairman of the SIMDACDRA, and R. Elango, its chairman, said the 18-month project will look at technology exchange between the two countries to develop a cotton seed variety that will give higher yield and ginning out turn. Uganda grows 100% organic cotton and cotton grown by the farmers in Uganda gives higher ginning out turn compared with Indian cotton. However, the yield from the varieties developed by the CDRA are higher
Year: 2019
Government procured just 3% of pulses, seeds targeted under PM-AASHA scheme
Under the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan scheme, only 1.08 lakh tonnes have been procured so far. Less than 3% of this season’s sanctioned amount of pulses and oilseeds have actually been procured so far under the once-hyped PM-AASHA scheme, Agriculture Ministry data show. Arrivals of these crops began in October and will end by February.A total of 37.59 lakh metric tonnes of procurement had been sanctioned under the Centrally funded scheme. However, only 1.08 lakh tonnes have been procured so far, according to data placed in the Lok Sabha on December 3. In fact, of the eleven States that opted for the scheme this season, procurement has not even started in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.Direct purchaseThe
Onion, tomato prices continue to rule high at ₹60-70 per kg in Delhi
The two kitchen staples are being sold at up to ₹70 per kg, depending on the quality and locality, as per trade data Onion and tomato prices continue to remain high in the range of ₹60-70 per kg in the retail markets of the national capital despite government measures. The two kitchen staples are being sold at up to ₹70 per kg, depending on the quality and locality, as per trade data. The data, maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry, also showed retail price of onion ruling high at ₹55 per kg and tomato at ₹53 per kg in the national capital region (NCR). The rates have remained high in the last one month even though the government has
Farmers hit by sharp decline in pepper prices
A drastic fall in the price of black pepper and low production owing to climate vagaries are the major concerns of farmers in Kerala and Karnataka, the two major pepper producing States in the country.Black pepper prices have crashed from ₹760 a kg in 2017 to ₹490 a kg and then to ₹290 a kg.The spot price of pepper in Kerala’s Wayanad and Karnataka’s Coorg markets on Wednesday was ₹285 a kg as against ₹390 a kg during the corresponding period last year.“The influx of imported pepper from Vietnam via Sri Lanka was the major reason for the fall in prices in the Indian market,” M.C. Abdu of Ideal Spices, a pepper dealer in Wayanad, told The Hindu.The cheaper
This Telugu IFA-funded documentary follows women farmers
Mumbai-based researcher Aditi Maddali’s film ‘Songs Of Our Soil’ places women farmers of Telangana at the frontline of agrarian rights and agriculture futures There is a pivotal moment in the documentary Songs Of Our Soil, in which woman farmer Suguna approaches an agriculture meeting and asks, “what about us?” This scene is one of Aditi Maddali’s most meaningful moments in a film which took almost three years to bring together. The film observes the subversive histories of women, like Suguna, in the fight against oppressive societal structures in Telangana through uyyala songs. “You do see these women contemplate their place in society,” observes Aditi. The Telugu title of the film is Pani Pata Poratam. Aditi began looking at songs
Agriculture sees biggest boost in allocation in Union Budget 2019
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her maiden budget in the Lok Sabha on Friday. The budgeted expenditure for 2019-20 was pegged at Rs. 27.86 lakh crore, a 13.4% increase over the revised estimates for 2018-19.As usual, interest payments and subsidies (for food, petroleum and fertilizers) made up the largest components of the budget. Each rectangle in the visualisation below represents the percentage of total budget allocated under each sector. In terms of allocation, agriculture & allied activities received the biggest push (74% absolute increase) among all sectors compared to FY19. A huge chunk of this allocation is expected to go towards the PM Kisan scheme. In her budget speech, Ms. Sitharaman said that the government would invest widely in agriculture infrastructure and
‘Uber for tractors’: Government to launch app to aid farmers
Expensive agricultural equipment can be hired through the mobile application. A laser-guided land leveller harnesses technology to accurately flatten a field in a fraction of the time used by a traditional oxen-powered scraper.The result? Farmers save precious groundwater and increase productivity by 10 to 15%.The hitch? Such hitech levellers cost at least ₹3 lakh, way beyond the reach of the average small farmer.But a new app that’s being described as “Uber for tractors” offers a solution.“We want farmers to have affordable access to cutting-edge technology at their doorsteps,” says a senior Agriculture Ministry official. “There are now more than 38,000 custom hiring centres (CHCs) across the country, which rent out 2.5 lakh pieces of farm equipment every year.
Certification of seeds to be made mandatory to step up farm output
Barcoding and tracking could hike productivity by 25%, say officials. More than half of all seeds sold in India are not certified by any proper testing agency, and are often of poor quality. The Centre now hopes to mandate uniform certification by pushing through a replacement to the Seeds Act, 1966, in the winter session of Parliament, and also by barcoding all seeds to ensure their traceability. This could increase overall agricultural productivity by up to 25%, Agriculture Ministry officials say. Definition changed “The existing legislation that was enacted over half a century ago needs to be revised urgently. Technology has changed, farmers’ expectations have changed, even the very definition of what is a seed has changed. Planting materials
Sugar mills back move to build 4 million tonne buffer
Indian Sugar Mills Association welcomes Cabinet decision to raise sugar cane MSP. The Centre has decided to expand the buffer stock of sugar and simultaneously halt the trend of raising the minimum support price for sugar cane to correct demand-supply imbalances, stabilise retail prices and reduce payment arrears from mills to farmers.The two decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday, were welcomed by the sugar industry.A series of bumper harvests over the past few years, combined with higher rates of sugar recovery from sugar cane, resulted in production vastly overshooting domestic demand and led to a crash in retail prices. Estimates suggest that the country will produce 32.95 million tonnes of sugar in the current
Why cardamom is on a bull run
On June 20, the cardamom market went into a tizzy thanks to a sale at the e-auction centre at Bodinayakanur, nicknamed the cardamom capital of India, at the foothill of the Western Ghats in Theni district, Tamil Nadu. Eight kilos of the evenly green, aromatic 8.5 mm capsule fetched a record ₹ 5000 for a kilo spreading equal amounts of joy and consternation in an otherwise conservative commodities market.Elite food goes populist:Amalagam Foods Limited ventured into cardamom-flavoured ice-creams in early 2000s but discontinued as the “Indian palate demands very sweet ice creams while cardamom, on its own, has very strong flavour, so two strong elements did not quite work,” says Abraham J Tharakan, group chairman.Marryam H Reshii, who has