-The Indian Express We must recognise and strengthen the diversity, dynamism, enterprise, and resilience of India’s agricultural markets. Last week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman signalled the Union government’s intention to enact a new central law that would override existing state regulations that restrict the farmer from legally selling to anyone other than a buyer licensed by the local Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC). The decision to push for a central law comes...
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Is the Agricultural Package Addressing Challenges Small Farmers Face in a Pandemic? -Gurpreet Singh and Rajeev Sharma
-TheWire.in The stimulus package has not made clear whether or how small farmers will really benefit. As agricultural activities are in full swing due to ongoing rabi harvest and forthcoming kharif sowing, the continuing lockdown in India is pushing small farmers further to the margins. While various governments (both Central and States) have announced relaxations for agricultural activities and support for farmers, impact of the lockdown can be seen in terms of...
More »New Research: How lockdown has impacted Indian farmers, their yields -Seema Chishti
-The Indian Express The survey has found a “very strong association between food insecurity & farm size, with landless farmers 10 times more likely to skip a meal in the past month compared to large farmers”. Preliminary findings of a survey of more than 1,000 agricultural households across 12 Indian States show that 60% of those who did harvest reported a yield loss, and 1/10th of them could not harvest their crop...
More »3.5 million new enrolments under MGNREGA, as ‘distressed’ workers return to villages -Chetan Chauhan
-Hindustan Times According to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme website, around 3.5 million new job applications have come in the current financial year since April 1 till May 20. As many as 3.5 million new workers have sought jobs under MGNREGA since April 1, the highest number of applications in a decade, but there may not be enough work to engage them all, according to government data and officials...
More »COVID-19: 60% farmers suffered yield loss on their harvest, shows survey -Shagun Kapil
-Down to Earth Survey aimed to evaluate the impact of the nationwide lockdown against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on agricultural production and livelihood More than half the farmers who harvested their crops suffered a lower yield during the nationwide lockdown, compared to the last season of sowing the same crop, revealed a survey of 1,500 farmers in 200 districts across 12 States. The lockdown — to curb the spread of the novel...
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