Want to know what is going on in the agricultural sector of India? Here’s a round-up of the top 10 news.

1. Wheat Production Estimates For 2021-22 Fall Down To 105 Million Tons

Earlier the government estimated the wheat production for the years 2021-22 as around 111.32 million tons. However, now after seeing the current fall in wheat production, the estimates have been cut down by 5.7 percent and now the production estimate is around 105 million tons. The major reason behind this sudden fall is the arrival of early summers. There are some other factors as well such as higher market prices, stocks held by farmers and traders, and lower production in some states. Last year the wheat production was at around 109.59 million tons. Read more here.

2. India & Germany Sign Up For Cooperation In Agro-Ecology

For the cooperation in agroecology and sustainable management of natural resources in the agriculture sector, India and Germany will work together. Concessional loans of up to 300 million euros will be provided for these activities by 2025. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Germany’s Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze signed a declaration for this matter in a virtual meeting. According to the agreement, both the nations will do joint research, knowledge sharing, and innovation between academic institutions and practitioners including farmers. There will be a transfer of technology and scientific knowledge as well. Read more here.

3. Government Might Cut Taxes On Edible Oils To Curb Rising Prices

The Indian government is planning to cut the taxes on some edible oils to bring the prices down for the domestic markets. Due to the war in Ukraine and the ban on palm oil by Indonesia, export prices are touching the sky. Currently, India is the top importer of vegetable oil as there is a very high demand for it in the country. To soothe the current situation government is planning to cut taxes by 5% for crude palm oil imports. The base import duty on crude palm oil has already been stopped. Read more here.

4. Agriculture Department Might Seek DSR Technique To Save Water

The agriculture department is encouraging farmers to adopt the direct seeding of rice (DSR) technology. The government also offered ₹1,500 aid to farmers who will sow paddy using the DSR technique. The government is urging this technique to save groundwater. In DSR, farmers don’t need much water for farming and they can also save their labor costs. DSR is getting pretty famous in the Punjab region. In Jalandhar last year, around 25,000 hectares of paddy were sown using the DSR technique. Earlier it was only 15,000 hectares. This year the government is planning to increase the paddy sowing up to 50,000 hectares with the DSR technique. Read more here.

5. Farmers And Scientists To Come Together To Study Community Managed Natural Farming Practices

The Agriculture Research Station, Rekulakunta will initiate a study of community-managed natural farming practices. 10 teams of scientists have been selected for this project and each scientist will accompany the farmers selected from different agroclimatic zones. These studies are to show farmers the results of adopting poly cropping, pre-monsoon dry sowing, and 365 days of green cover under natural farming practices. Scientists can also understand and analyze these practices and their success patterns. Read more here.

6. Ginger Farmers Suffer From Low Prices

April used to be the most profitable month for the ginger farmers of Kerala and Karnataka. However, this year around 60% of the farmers, especially the ginger rhizomes cultivators in Karnataka hasn’t yet harvested their crops. This happened because of the sudden sharp fall in market prices. This year the price for a 60 kg bag is ₹1,000 to ₹1,100 while it was around ₹2,300 last year. Because of the constant rise in ginger sale prices, many farmers started its cultivation. Now, due to overproduction, the prices are being affected heavily. Also, the crops are being attacked by many diseases which cause crop loss too. Read more here.

7. Punjab: Private Wheat Purchase Hits 15 Year High Yet Farmers Not Recovering The Cost

Private wheat purchases from Punjab’s APMC mandis have hit a 15-year high with almost six lakh tonnes purchased. However, the farmers are not happy with this because they are still not getting good prices for their crops. The flour millers and traders are buying the product with ₹ 5-10 above the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,015 per quintal. This amount is hardly covering the total cost of the farmers. Also due to the rise in temperature, many farmers lost quintals of produce. They are already suffering losses and now the mere hike in MSP has become a new problem for them. Read more here.

8. Cotton Farmers To Learn About Sustainable Farming Methods From Fashion Chain Primark

One of Europe’s biggest fast fashion chains Primark has pledged to train cotton farmers in sustainable farming methods in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh by 2023. The group will train the farmers to farm using less chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and less water to mitigate against climate change. These methods will lower their input costs and improve their profits. The group is aiming to add up to 275,000 farmers to this program by the end of next year. Read more here.

9. Kochi: Dairy Farmers Seek Hike In Milk Prices

Dairy farmers of Kochi have demanded the government hike milk prices. The Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (ERCMPU) earlier demanded a ₹5 per litre price hike to support dairy farmers. The rise in cattle feed price is one of the concerns of the farmers. Also due to the import of milk from other states, selling has been affected. Ernakulam district panchayat has already started subsidies for milk production and has also encouraged the women dairy entrepreneurs. Read more here.

10. Now Get a Concise Collection Report On ChargeERP

ChargeERP, the easiest, fastest, and most secure mandi accounting software from Bijak has introduced a concise version of the Collection Report, along with the detailed one. Users will now be able to download Collection Reports in a concise format displaying 150 accounts on one page and a few columns including ‘Account’, ‘Closing Balance’, and ‘Dr/Cr’. Before this, they launched an independent Seller Bill.

For more information and updates, subscribe to our YouTube Channel or follow our Facebook page and our Blog. Book a free demo by dialing 91 9311341199 or by visiting www.chargeerp.com