-The Hindu ‘Water hasn’t even receded from my yard yet. How can we start farming in October?’ On either side of the Alappuzha-Changanassery road is a vast expanse of water with an odd canoe bobbing about, or a precariously leaning electrical pole. But these are not the backwaters. I am in Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, but there is not a paddy crop in sight. Farmers in this area have for generations...
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Steps to stop the rot: on dangers of storing foodgrains in the open -Peter Smetacek
-The Hindu The government must stop storing millions of tonnes of foodgrains in the open under tarpaulins In India, the height of the rainy season is a time that one prays will pass — flooded roads, wet clothes, masses of insects and mould. No place is safe from the growth of fungi that spring up overnight. With the humidity in the air and the warmth of summer, all that fungi need is...
More »Agri infrastructure for farmers' welfare is a priority -Radha Mohan Singh
-The Hindu Business Line The Narendra Modi government is committed to the welfare of farmers. As a result of this there has been a qualitative improvement in their lives. Taking a step in this direction, the government has transformed the targets meant for the implementation of farmers’ welfare schemes in a mission mode and time-bound manner. The government has been successful in bringing about awareness amongst farmers through new initiatives taken for...
More »Punjab fails to cut down area under rice cultivation -Anju Agnihotri Chaba
-The Indian Express Despite setting a target to bring down by over one lakh hectares (lh) area under rice cultivation this year, Punjab has failed and acreage under the crop has already reached up to 29.57 lh and is likely touch 30 lh again. Jalandhar: Despite setting a target to bring down by over one lakh hectares (lh) area under rice cultivation this year, Punjab has failed and acreage under the...
More »Using MGNREGA Funds to Subsidise Farm Labour is a Recipe for Disaster -Diego Maiorano and Chakradhar Buddha
-TheWire.in It will greatly bring down the poverty reduction impact of the programme, harm the construction of much-needed rural infrastructure and dramatically diminish the labourers’ bargaining power vis-à-vis the farmers. At the recent fourth governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog, the government announced the formation of a sub-group of chief ministers to propose ways of linking the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with agricultural activities. The group is headed...
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