-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Moving to fulfil its budget promise and address political heat over farmer discontent, the government is set to announce a new minimum support price (MSP) regime that will provide farmers a profit margin of 50% over cost of production. The additional bill is likely to be around Rs 33,500 crore. The new MSP, to be considered by the cabinet on Wednesday, will largely apply to paddy...
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State's farmers discover there is life beyond rice and wheat, take to animal farming, fishery -Arjun Sharma
-Firstpost.com Chandigarh: With extensive rice farming in Punjab taking an increasing toll on groundwater reserves and soil health, government agencies are now asking farmers to diversify into profitable allied trades including dairy and pig farming and fisheries. Farmers are also being asked to cultivate crops other than paddy. Farmers in different parts of the state have started growing other, more profitable crops alongside rice. In a break with the fertiliser and pesticide-driven...
More »Farm support prices come with hidden costs -Ashima Goyal
-The Hindu Business Line In view of the distortions arising out of excessive price support, direct income transfers to farmers is a better option The domestic debate has tended to conclude that the rise in MSP announced in the Budget is an essential part of achieving the government’s objective of doubling farm incomes. But MSP stands for minimum support prices and is an instrument designed for reducing income volatility, not for raising...
More »Not all milk and honey -Ashok Gulati & Ritika Juneja
-The Indian Express Only 21 per cent of India’s milk production gets processed through the organised sector and the rest passes through unorganised small players. And that’s where the crisis is most intense. Farmers, who had high expectations from the Narendra Modi government, are a disillusioned lot today. Market prices of several crops have remained well below their minimum support prices (MSPs). Moreover, milk prices have fallen by 20 per cent...
More »Charge farmers for water, remove sops on water-guzzling crops: report -Sanjeeb Mukherjee
-Business Standard Nabard-Icrier study calls for moving high-water reliant crops like sugarcane in Maharashtra, rice in Punjab to other areas; Gadkari says not possible. With India staring at a looming water crisis, a new study on ‘water productivity mapping of major crops’ has called for putting a price on water used for irrigation to at least recover operating and maintenance costs of structures like canals. It has also called for an end...
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