We bring you the weekly roundup of the top ten news in the agriculture sector.
1. India is set to witness the highest ever horticulture crop production at 329.86 million tonnes
According to the second advance estimate of horticulture production released by the Ministry of Agriculture today, India is expected to have the highest ever horticulture production of 329.86 million tonnes in 2020-21, up by 2.93% over previous year. The increase in production has been registered in vegetables, spices, medicinal and aromatic crops. The Floriculture sector has been the hardest hit by the pandemic as production declined by 7.17%. Read more here.
2. India’s First Grain ATM Installed at Gurugram
Now consumers will not have to stand in long queues or make continuous rounds at ration depots. For the first time, India has come up with a one-of-its-kind ‘Grain ATM’ that will ensure the right quantity of food to the right beneficiary without any complaints. Read more here.
3. Punjab waives Rs.590 crore farm debt loans for laborers and landless farming community
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has announced waiver of Rs 590 crore worth of loans under the farm debt waiver scheme for labourers and the landless farming community, an official statement said on Wednesday. Read more here.
4. APEDA and NAFED sign MOU to Assist Exporters and Cooperatives
According to an official release, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) to help registered exporters get assistance under various government schemes and help cooperatives sell their products globally and build capacity. Read more here.
5. Assam gets first Agribusiness growth lab to support Agri-enterprises
The first-of-its-kind program to support enterprise in the Agri and allied sectors has been launched in Assam. The Assam Agribusiness Growth Lab (AAGL) is initiated by CIIE.CO, an incubator of IIM Ahmedabad in partnership with Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) under the aegis of Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services Society (ARIAS). Read more here
6. Tomar urges farmers to take benefit of govt’s agri-reforms; launches Kisan Sarathi app
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday urged farmers to take benefit of the government’s farm reforms that are not only aimed at improving their lives, but also boosting the agriculture sector. He also said the Modi government is continuously strengthening the foundation of the country’s agriculture sector, which lagged due to the neglectful policies of the previous regime. Tomar was addressing the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) 93rd Foundation Day and award ceremony virtually. The minister is the chairman of ICAR.
On the occasion, the minister also launched an Information Communication and Technology (ICT) based platform ‘Kisan Sarathi’ to support agriculture at the local level with a national perspective. Read more here
7. IIT Mandi develops AI-based model for disease detection in potato crops using photos of leaves
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, have developed a computational model based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for automated disease detection in potato crops using photographs of its leaves. The research in collaboration with the Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, uses AI techniques to highlight the diseased portions of the leaf and has also been published in the journal — Plant Phenomics. Read More here
8. Yellow watermelon variety Introduced by Bayer in India
German agrochemicals major Bayer on Monday said it has launched the first-ever yellow watermelon variety Yellow Gold 48 under Seminis brand in India. This yellow watermelon has been developed from superior germplasm as part of Bayer’s global research and development efforts, the company said in a statement. The yellow watermelon variety has been commercially introduced in India following two years of local trials. Read more here
9. PMFBY: Deadline to Register for PM Fasal Bima Yojana Extended; Details Inside
Good news for farmers as the deadline for PM Fasal Bima Yojana has been extended. The Maharashtra government’s demand to extend the cut-off date for enrollment of farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for the Kharif season 2021 from July 15 to July 23 was met by the Central government on Thursday. Read More here
10. ChargeERP
ChargeERP, the cloud-based online accounting software from Bijak has launched its Facebook page and blog. Read up about the features here and book a free demo by dialing +91 9311341199 or by visiting www.chargeerp.com