-The Hindu Following application to revoke registration of potato variety used for Lays chips Food and beverage giant PepsiCo India has been slapped with a notice from a central agency under the Agriculture Ministry regarding an application to revoke the registration of its potato variety used to make its trademark Lays chips. The application was filed by Kavitha Kuruganti, a convenor of the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture. The notice, which The...

-The Indian Express A 2 per cent TDS on cash withdrawals beyond Rs 1 crore may hit the farm trade hard. One of the 2019-20 Union Budget’s less-discussed proposals, having significant implications for agricultural trade, is the levy of a 2% TDS (tax deducted at source) on cash withdrawals exceeding Rs 1 crore in a year from any bank account. The levy — aimed at promoting “digital payments” and a “less cash...

-The Hindu Business Line Almost half of the budgetary exercise is over, but Parliament is yet to see formation of department-related standing committees (DRSC). This means Demands for Grants and the Finance Bill will not be vetted by DRSCs as of now. The Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up the Finance Bill for consideration and passage during the week starting July 15. There will also be discussions and voting on Demands...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In its bid to disincentivise Farmers from excessive use of chemical fertilizers, the government is preparing to move on a long considered proposal for direct cash transfer of the subsidy amount to Farmers’ bank accounts. The funds transferred will be used only for buying soil nutrients while two options are being explored to decide the cash subsidy — either by fixing the amount per acre/hectare or...

-Newsclick.in “Our population today is around 136 crore. Where will you get food grains for them through zero budget farming? This is sheer madness.” There is an inherent seductive charm to the term zero budget natural farming, for it makes the arduous occupation of agriculture appear beguilingly simple, an economic proposition without any risk or even requirement of capital. Coined by the Vidarbha-based farmer, Subhash Palekar, who was bestowed with the Padma...