Downplaying the impact of drought in three states on national food production, agriculture and cooperation secretary Prabeer Kumar Basu says the number of people dependent on agriculture has to come down for rural incomes to rise. "We have sent our team for an assessment of the situation. None of this will affect overall production because it will be compensated by the rest of India where crop conditions are excellent. We will...
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With labourers turning to MGNREGS, farm sector may turn to machines by Gargi Parsai
Pawar announces mega plans for mechanisation in 12th Plan Faced with farm labour shortage following the introduction of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday announced mega plans for mechanisation in the 12th Five-Year Plan. “With the successful implementation of the MGNREGS and other anti-poverty programmes, there is now pressure on the availability of farm labour,” Mr. Pawar told senior journalists at the Economic...
More »EGoM on food deferred due to differences among ruling allies
-PTI A meeting of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on food, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and scheduled for today, has been postponed due to differences among ruling allies, especially the NCP, over the sugar export policy. The meeting was deferred as the NCP leader and Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, wanted a clear policy on sugar export for 2011-12 to be decided this month, but Food Minister KV Thomas was...
More »Centre lifts ban on onion export following farmers' protest
-The Hindu Faced with strong protests from farmers and a demand from the Maharashtra government, the Centre on Tuesday announced the lifting of the ban on export of onions with immediate effect. The decision was taken by the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on Food headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. “Ban on onion export has been lifted,'' Union Minister for Science and Technology Vilasrao Deshmukh told journalists after the meeting. Union Agriculture...
More »Ban on onion export, off wheat
-The Telegraph The Centre tonight banned Onion exports to check rising retail prices, re-imposing the curbs only six months after it lifted them following a dip. At the same time, it lifted four-year restrictions on overseas sale of wheat and non-basmati rice to ease storage problems following record production last season. “Onion exports have been banned with immediate effect. The ban will be reviewed on a fortnightly basis,” food minister K.V. Thomas said...
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