-Business Standard The move comes after a joint action panel recommended use of traditional varieties as they were immune to Pest Attacks Chandigarh: Farmer suicides in Punjab and Haryana in the aftermath of extensive damage to the cotton crop in 2015-16 due to pest attack has led to a swing in official opinion against genetically modified (Bt) seeds. A Joint Action Committee was appointed by the two state governments on the causes and...
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Declare suicide prone areas in Maharashtra as organic farming zones: Activist
-PTI Banning use of chemicals will reduce the cost of cultivation by over 50%, he added Mumbai: In the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pitch for expansion of organic farming across the country, a prominent farm activist has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to ban the use of chemicals in 14 suicide prone districts of the state. "All the 14 districts of Maharashtra affected by farmers' suicide should be declared as organic...
More »NDA junks the ‘dumb peasant’ argument -Anil Padmanabhan
-Livemint.com Traditionally, public policy has tended to view Indian farmers as what is described in economic history as the “dumb peasant” Last week, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government launched a revamped crop insurance scheme. At first glance, the scheme, christened Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, looks mostly like a reworking of the risk cover already in place; actually, it is much more. Not only does it take a big step in de-risking...
More »New crop insurance scheme will reduce premium 10-fold, ensure faster payouts -Sayantan Bera
-Livemint.com The move is an attempt by the government to stem rural distress as farmers are facing three successive crop failures due to inclement weather conditions New Delhi: The central government is expected to launch a new crop insurance scheme for which the rate of premium paid by farmers will be about a tenth of existing rates. The move is an attempt by the government to stem rural distress as farmers are...
More »Pulses buffer stock plan hits quality wall -Sandip Das
-The Financial Express The plan to build a buffer stock of pulses, akin to such facilities for rice and wheat, has run into a hurdle after the agriculture ministry insisted that only lentils that meet the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. The plan to build a buffer stock of pulses, akin to such facilities for rice and wheat, has run into a hurdle after the agriculture ministry insisted that only...
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