-Livemint.com The GST Council has fixed a 12% GST rate on fertilizers, up from the current 4-8% rates, depending on raw materials used and in which states the products are sold New Delhi: India’s landmark tax reform, the goods and services tax (GST), may not be good news for farmers. Retail prices of commonly used fertilizers and micronutrients are likely to increase, not only raising the cost of cultivation but also leading...
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From plate to plough: An unfulfilled farm manifesto -Ashok Gulati & Siraj Hussain
-The Indian Express On agriculture, three years into the Modi government, while many steps have been taken to realise promises made in 2014, others have fallen by the wayside With the Modi government completing three years in office, it is time to assess its performance in various sectors. We focus here on agriculture. Without robust growth in agriculture, “sabka saath, sabka vikas” will remain an empty slogan. There are two ways to evaluate...
More »Himachal Pradesh to develop 200 organic villages
-IANS Shimla: Himachal Pradesh, whose economy largely banks on agriculture and horticulture, aims to develop bio villages by promoting organic farming. The state is also eyeing investment in cold chains. An additional 2,000 hectares will be brought under organic farming and there are plans to develop 200 bio-villages in the next fiscal, a government spokesperson told IANS. He said farmers in the bio-villages would use only bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides and discourage...
More »Ramesh Chand, Niti Aayog member, interviewed by Prasanta Sahu and Sandip Das (The Financial Express)
-The Financial Express While the Central Statistical Organisation has estimated “agriculture and allied services” to grow 4.1% in FY17, Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand expects the growth rate to be a handsome 7%. Chand spoke to FE’s Prasanta Sahu and Sandip Das on critical factors that need to be addressed to ensure at least 4% annual growth over the next 15 years. * How do you foresee the direction of the agricultural...
More »Timely policy measures, monitoring helped in boosting farm output
-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: Active policy intervention in agriculture and rigorous monitoring of farm operations from planting to harvesting in a good monsoon year helped Indian farmers increase India’s food output at a much faster pace in 2016-17 than previous peaks in production, officials said. Farm output rose 8.1% to a record of 272 million tonnes in the current crop year. This is much more than the previous significant increase in...
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