-Financial Express While recently releasing the book, Supporting Indian Farms the Smart Way by Ashok Gulati, Marco Ferroni and Yuan Zhou, Arun Jaitley remarked that India needs a good blend of investments and subsidies in its agriculture policy. He said that, luckily, there are no severe constraints on resources to invest in rural areas, be it roads, water (irrigation), sanitation, and even housing. If he could include in this list of...

-The Telegraph With an overload of cane price arrears, V Kumara Swamy warns of a looming crisis for farmers Until a few years ago, you could tell the seasons in western Uttar Pradesh when you drove down its highways just by looking at the standing crops. In winter, one would see an unending landscape of swaying wheat and mustard, during summer it would be all sugarcane and paddy. These days, almost through the...

-The Tribune Mumbai: Parts of Maharashtra are facing drought-like situation due to scanty rainfall in around 18 districts of the state, according to state government officials. All the affected districts lie in the politically sensitive Marathwada and Vidarbha regions and the Devendra Fadnavis government is coming under pressure to undertake drought-relief work right away. There is a major shortage of drinking water across Marathwada and people are dependent on tankers even for their...

-Financial Express After government estimates said that Indian agriculture could be heading for bumper kharif crop harvest, experts say that it could provide a major fillip to rice exports. However, the development could potentially put increased pressure on the government to buy the crops at the MSPs, if market rates fall below the benchmark rates on bumper arrivals at mandis. According to government estimates production of kharif foodgrains for 2018-19 crop year...

-Down to Earth Throughout ages, many rituals have been associated with millet cultivation and women are to be thanked for this As millets make a comeback to our fields and plates, the formal launch of an extensive campaign beginning from Pune to promote these nutri cereals assumes great significance. According to B Dayakar Rao, principal scientist at the Indian Institute of Millets Research, "The Pune event is basically an extension of the National Millet...