-Livemint.com To stabilize crop prices and make them remunerative, the Swaminathan Commission proposed significant improvements in the implementation of MSPs Across the country, farmers are furious—and rightfully so. Four years ago, they helped bring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power, believing Narendra Modi’s claims that they would no longer suffer official neglect. But since then, conditions in agriculture have got worse. Earlier problems have worsened as farm incomes have been squeezed...

  Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) or cash transfer might appear attractive on papers, but in reality it is opposed by its beneficiaries when implemented. Something similar to this has happened in the Nagri block of Ranchi district, where cash is being transferred to the aadhaar seeded bank accounts of beneficiaries in lieu of providing subsidized foodgrains. Cash transfers in the public distribution system (PDS) have been in operation in the Nagri block...

-The Hindu Business Line Good kharif crop, govt thrust on agri and rural segments boost sector’s Q3 performance Chennai: Encouraged by the continuing momentum in sales, the tractor industry hopes to end the current fiscal with highest-ever domestic volumes close to 6.8 lakh units. The industry’s previous highest domestic number was in 2013-14 when domestic sales stood at 6.34 lakh units. Tractor companies and industry analysts project a growth rate of 17-18 per cent...

-The Hindu The ambitious plan to help farmers earn from solar power generation hinges on small details Electricity is a major concern in rural India, especially for farmers. The Government of India has come up with an original plan to address this problem. Instead of transmitting electricity to the farmers, the government, to start with, wants farmers to use solar energy to power their irrigation pumps. According to the January 2018 report...

-The Indian Express Tomatoes from Kolar are even exported to countries like Dubai and Bangladesh. Kolar (Karnataka): He has grown tomatoes on just 10 gunthas or 0.25 acres, but hopes to net at least Rs 1.5 lakh from selling the fruits during the coming summer months. “I am confident about my yields, which should be roughly 12 tonnes. My production cost would work to Rs 75,000. If I get Rs 19-20/kg, my profit...