-The Telegraph Poultry Business dithering, seed supply may hit kharif season A week is a long period in the time of pandemics. Around Holi, India was besotted with other issues, including New Delhi’s insinuated communal riots and the Madhya Pradesh political crisis. Late last week, finally, Covid-19 drew full attention of the authorities as it rightfully deserves. While these are still early days in India and the number of Covid-19-infected people is a...

-Business Standard The data released yesterday shows that while overall the number of India's poultry birds have risen from 729.2 million to 851.8 million as the 2019 census, an increase of almost 17 per cent In a significant development for India’s rural landscape, the latest provisional data of 20th livestock census shows a sharp increase in backyard poultry birds between 2012 and 2019, as compared to rise in birds from commercial poultry...

-The Hindu Business Line Cow population up 18 per cent in seven years but number of oxen plunges 30 per cent The population of cows in the country has risen by 18 per cent in the last seven years, while that of oxen dipped by 30 per cent, according to the latest census of livestock. The total number for livestock was pegged at around 536 million. The provisional data of the 20th Livestock...

In the financial year 2017-18 when tractor sales touched new heights, it was said by many of the NDA (viz. National Democratic Alliance) government supporters that rural demand has revived on account of adequate monsoon rainfall and higher minimum support prices for crops. Many economists and newspaper columnists also denied the existence of any rural distress. An alternative perspective, however, was also presented by rural economists like Dr. Himanshu who teaches...

-The Hindu Business Line Eminent agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan, Chairman of the much discussed Farmers’ Commission whose report mooted an MSP at 50 per cent above cost, feels that income support can be given in the form of free inputs or higher procurement as well. While welcoming ‘PM-Kisan’, he says cash transfer should not become a form of patronage and that the focus should shift from loan write-offs to long-term policies....