-The Indian Express Mainstay of the state’s economy, three-fourths of India’s total production, Kashmir apples have survived spot-less through the Valley’s 30-year insurgency. Is this about to change, as the Centre takes over procurement in its bid to restore ‘normalcy’, militants strike back with threats, and growers watch their fruit rot? An Indian Express report An olive-green mine-proof Caspir vehicle of the Army stands in front of a long, tin-roofed platform...
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Alternative agriculture: Natural farming's time has come, seize the moment -PVS Suryakumar
-The Indian Express Consumers today are willing to pay for organic produce. What is required is a policy framework to enable farmers to cater to this market. A few months back, I was at an artisanal products exhibition, where there was a stall showcasing organic leather bags. A buyer marvelled: “Wow, we have organic leather too?” The stall-person’s response was, “Sir, this is from animals that were fed only natural grass...
More »Govt deal no lifesaver for Kashmir apple-growers, could leave them poorer -Azaan Javaid
-ThePrint.in Centre's procurement deal through NAFED offers Kashmir apple farmers a lower rate than last year, while also changing the definitions of different categories Srinagar: The Centre’s decision to procure Kashmir’s apple produce to prevent distress sales amid tensions in the Valley will put farmers at a disadvantage over conventional sales, ThePrint has learnt. With militants reportedly threatening traders against conducting business, and a public curfew in place against the decision to...
More »Centre may promote Farmer Producer Organisations, but will they address agrarian distress? -Richa Govil
-TheWire.in India already has several kinds of FPOs. So why have they not made a dent on farmers' woes? On July 5, 2019, the government of India announced its intent to promote 10,000 farmer producer organisations (FPOs) over the next five years, as part of its efforts to increase farmer income and reduce agrarian distress. Such collectivisation can be very powerful. The best known example of an FPO is that of Amul...
More »First time in 30 years, why NAFED faces challenge -Harish Damodaran
-The Indian Express NAFED has been tasked with purchasing all the apples that growers bring to sell at mandis in the Valley. A bumper crop, for which there would hardly be any private buyers with all the current movement restrictions, makes it all the more challenging. The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) has not bought a single kilogram of apples for the last three decades or more. “We did...
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