The potential of Indian Agriculture

NSG_Blackcats

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Madhya Pradesh Renovates 229 Old Irrigation Projects

The Madhya Pradesh government has renovated all irrigation projects constructed before 1986. A total of 229 projects, which were watering half their potential capacity, have now been renovated and can be utilised in a better way.

The construction work costed Rs. 2,498 crore and was done with the help of Water Sector Restructuring funded by the World Bank. The renovation works of the projects in 30 districts will be complete by next month. After renovation, the potential of these projects can be fully tapped and will help in advanced farming, horticulture, animal husbandry and other agricultural projects.

Thanks to the renovated systems, Rabi irrigation through the Chambal canal has improved. The canal has irrigated over 3 lakhs hectare after renovation, which is much higher than the 78,000 hectares it irrigated in 2009-10.
 

NSG_Blackcats

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Hindustani78

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Ministry of Finance
26-December, 2017 17:41 IST
New $318 million loan Agreement Signed with World Bank to Support Climate Resilient Agriculture – over 500,000 Farmers to Benefit in Tamil Nadu

The Government of India, the Government of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank today signed a $318 million loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project to promote climate resilient agriculture technologies, improve water management practices, and increase market opportunities for small and marginal farmers. About 500,000 farmers, of which a majority are small and marginal, are expected to benefit from improved and modernized tank irrigation systems.

The project will rehabilitate and modernize about 4,800 irrigation tanks and 477 check dams, spread across 66 sub-basins, in delivering bulk water to irrigation systems.

Tamil Nadu, being a water-stressed state, continues to experience water shortages which are expected to further exacerbate in the future. Rehabilitating and modernizing irrigation tanks will improve the reliability and availability of irrigation water for farming communities, making them less prone to climatic hazards. More than 160,000 ha of currently partially irrigated lands will come into full irrigation under this project,” said Sameer Kumar Khare, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.

The agreement for the project was signed by Sameer Kumar Khare, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India; S. K. Prabhakar, Principal Secretary, Public Works Department, on behalf of the Government of Tamil Nadu and John Blomquist, Program Leader and Acting Country Director, World Bank, India on behalf of the World Bank.

“This project will help Tamil Nadu scale up its efforts to unlock the full potential of its agriculture sector. It will support farmers improve the efficiency of water used in farming, diversify into high value crops, and produce crops that are resilient to the increasing threats of climate change. Such efforts will be a win-win for all, leading to better use of scarce water resources and raising household incomes of farmers,” said John Blomquist, Program Leader and Acting Country Director, World Bank, India.

Though significant progress has been made during the past decade in crop diversification, still there is scope for achieving a higher level. Paddy is the dominant crop occupying 34 percent of total cropped areas, whereas fruits and vegetables are grown on 11 percent and pulses and oilseeds on 14 percent of total cropped areas. By helping farmers’ access modern technologies, linking them to markets, and providing postharvest management support, the project will enable farmers to shift from a mono crop paddy system to mixed cropping including high-value crops (fruits, vegetables, and spices), pulses, oilseeds, and millets.

To enhance the ability of crops to withstand expected adverse impacts of climate change, the project will support smallholder producers adopt new conservation technologies such as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and Sustainable Sugar Initiative (SSI). They reduce average water usage by 35 percent and increase yields by 22 percent per ha. The project is expected to increase the yield of rice, maize, and pulses by 18–20 percent.

The project will also coordinate with other World Bank-supported projects in Tamil Nadu and at the national level, including the Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project, National Hydrology Project, and National Groundwater Improvement Project to ensure synergy and enhance long-term project impact.

The $318 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a 5-year grace period, and a maturity of 19 years.


*****
 

Hindustani78

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Cabinet approves the Establishment of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Jharkhand


The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for the 12th Plan Proposal of the DARE/ICAR Plan Scheme of the 'Establishment of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (lARI)-Jharkhand'. It will have an estimated outlay of Rs. 200.78 crores (100% ICAR share) on 1,000 acre land provided by the Government of Jharkhand at the Gauria Karma Village in Barhi Block of Hazaribag.

Cabinet approves Establishment of Food Legumes Research Platform (FLRP) at Amlaha, Sehore, Madhya Pradesh with Satellite Hubs in West Bengal and Rajasthan by International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA)

Special assistance measure for Andhra Pradesh by way of special dispensation in funding of Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) and funding of irrigation component of Polavaram project

Cabinet approves transfer of 4.64 hectares of land belonging to Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation (IISWC) Research Centre at Vasad, Gujarat to National Highways Authority of India


The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for transfer of 4.64 hectares (46384 Sq. meters) of land belonging to the Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation (IISWC) Research Centre at Vasad, District Anand, Gujarat under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on payment of compensation amounting to Rs. 12.67 crorefor extension and six laning of Ahmedabad - Vadodara Highway on NH-8.


Cabinet approves Interest Subvention to banks on Short-Term crop loan to farmers
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS) for farmers for the year 2017-18. This will help farmers getting short term crop loan up to Rs. 3 lakh payable within one year at only 4% per annum. The Government has earmarked a sum of Rs. 20,339 crore for this purpose.

 

Hindustani78

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Ministry of Environment and Forests
28-December, 2017 18:03 IST
Environment Ministry Launches a Regional Project to Tackle Stubble Burning

In another significant step to combat climate change, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has approved a regional project on ‘Climate Resilience Building among Farmers through Crop Residue Management’ under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC). The project was approved at the meeting of the National Steering Committee on Climate Change, held here today, under the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri C.K Mishra. The first phase of the project has been approved at a cost of approximately Rs. 100 Crore for the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The project will leverage approximately three times the approved amount with contribution from the States as well as farmers.

The project not only aims to mitigate climate change impacts and enhance adaptive capacity, but will also counter the adverse environmental impacts that arise from burning. The project will be implemented following a phased approach. Initially, awareness generation and capacity building activities will be undertaken to encourage farmers to adopt alternate practices which would also help diversify livelihood options and enhance farmer’s income. A slew of technological interventions will be undertaken for timely management of crop residue in addition to effective utilisation of existing machineries. Implementable and sustainable entrepreneurship models will be created in rural areas through upscaling successful initiatives and innovative ideas. “Based upon the performance in the first phase, the scope could be enhanced and more activities can be supported subsequently”, said Secretary, MoEFCC, Shri. C.K Mishra. Projects from Nagaland, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh were also approved in the meeting. Despite limited budgetary provision, NAFCC has so far approved 27 innovative projects, covering vulnerable sectors like agriculture, animal husbandry, water, forestry among others, since its launch in 2015.

The problem of crop residue burning has been intensifying over the years, with Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh being the major burning hotspots. Increased mechanization, declining number of livestock, long period required for composting and no economically viable alternate use of residues are some of the reasons for residues being burnt in field. This not only has implications for global warming, but also has an adverse impact on air quality, soil health and human health.

***
 

Hindustani78

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Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
01-January, 2018 12:52 IST

Year-End Review-2017: Department of Consumer Affairs

Following are the major highlights of the activities of the Department of Consumer Affairs during the year 2017:


PRICE MONITORING CELL (PMC)


A) Price Stabilization Fund (PSF)

Buffer stock of upto 20 lakh tonnes of pulses has been built through domestic procurement and import for effective market intervention to stabilize their prices


o As on date, 17.14 lakh MT of pulses are available in the buffer after disposal of 3.36 lakh MT from 20.50 lakh tonnes, of which 3.79 lakh tonnes was imported and 16.71 lakh tonnes was procured domestically.


o Of 16.71 lakh tonnes procured domestically, 15.52 lakh tonnes was procured from KMS 2016-17 and RMS 2017-18 benefiting around 849,128 farmers


o Procurement and import of Onions undertaken through NAFED, SFAC and MMTC for stabilizing prices.



• Pulses from the buffer are being utilized for supply to States for distribution through their schemes; Ministries/Departments of Central Government having schemes with a nutrition component as well as those providing hospitality services either directly or through Private Agencies. In addition, pulses are also being disposed through auction in Market.


• These interventions, inter-alia, has ensured that prices of pulses remain at reasonable level during the year.


B) Strengthening of Price Monitoring Cell (PMC)

The Price Monitoring Cell is being strengthened at State level also by way of grants released to the State Government. Prices are stabilised by making appropriate policy recommendation and market intervention.


LEGAL METROLOGY


(1) Amendment made in the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 to safeguard the interest of consumers and ease of doing business - (will come into force w.e.f. 01.01.2018):

· Goods displayed by the seller on e-commerce platform shall contain declarations required under the Rules.

· Specific mention is made in the rules that no person shall declare different MRPs (dual MRP) on an identical pre-packaged commodity.

· Size of letters and numerals for making declaration is increased, so that consumer can easily read the same.

· The net quantity checking is made more scientific.

· Bar Code/ QR Coding is allowed on voluntarily basis.

· Provisions regarding declarations on Food Products have been harmonized with regulation under the Food Safety & Standards Act.

· Medical devices which are declared as drugs, are brought into the purview of declarations to be made under the rules.

(2) Permission to display revised MRP due to reduction of rates of GST up to 31st December, 2017:

· On account of implementation of GST w.e.f. 1st July, 2017, there may be instances where the retail sale price of a pre-packaged commodity is required to be changed. In this context, Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution had allowed the manufacturers or packers or importers of pre-packaged commodities to declare the revised retail sale price (MRP) in addition to the existing retail sale price (MRP), for three months w.e.f. 1st July 2017 to 30thSeptember, 2017. Declaration of the changed retail sale price (MRP) was allowed to be made by way of stamping or putting sticker or online printing, as the case may be, after taking into account the input tax credit.

· Use of unexhausted packaging material/wrapper had also been allowed upto 30th September, 2017 after making the necessary corrections.

· Considering the requests received to extend the permission for some more time, display on the revised MRP due to implementation of GST by way of stamping or putting sticker or online has been extended up to 31st March, 2018.

· Further Government has reduced the rates of GST on certain specified items, permission has been granted under sub-rule (3) of rule 6 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, up to 31st March, 2018 to affix an additional sticker or stamping or online printing for declaring the reduced MRP on the pre-packaged commodity. In this case also, the earlier Labelling/ Sticker of MRP will continue to be visible.

· This relaxation is also applicable in the case of unsold stocks manufactured/ packed/ imported after 1st July, 2017 where the MRP would reduce due to reduction in the rate of GST post 1st July, 2017.

(3) Advisories issued:

· For ease of doing business, an advisory was issued to all stakeholders that loose readymade garments are not covered under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.

· In the interest of consumers, advisory was issued to the Controllers of Legal Metrology of all States/UTs to enforce provisions related to overcharging and dual MRP. Govt. of Maharashtra issued notices for compliance of provisions of Rules related to overcharging to Vankhade Stadium, Mumbai, after which they have asked their vendors to comply with the provisions of Rules.

· To safeguard the interest of consumers, advisory has been issued to all State Governments to ensure all declarations including MRP on all medical devices.

· Advisory in the interest of consumers was also issued to all State Governments to ensure the correct quantity of petrol/ diesel and LPG Cylinders.


BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS (BIS) ACT 2016


A new Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) Act 2016 which was notified on 22nd March, 2016, has been brought into force with effect from 12th October, 2017. The Act establishes the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India. It has enabling provisions for the Government to bring under compulsory certification regime any goods or article of any scheduled industry, process, system or service which it considers necessary in the public interest or for the protection of human, animal or plant health, safety of the environment, or prevention of unfair trade practices, or national security. Enabling provisions have also been made for making hallmarking of the precious metal articles mandatory. The new Act also allows multiple type of simplified conformity assessment schemes including self-declaration of conformity against a standard which will give simplified options to manufacturers to adhere to the standards and get certificate of conformity. The Act enables the Central Government to appoint any authority/agency, in addition to the BIS, to verify the conformity of products and services to a standard and issue certificate of conformity. Further, there is provision for repair or recall, including product liability of the products bearing Standard Mark but not conforming to the relevant Indian Standard. The new Act will further help in ease of doing business in the country, give fillip to Make In India campaign and ensure availability of quality products and services to the consumers. Bureau of Indian Standards Rules, 2017 were also notified on 13th October, 2017.


CONSUMER PROTECTION UNIT


1. An international conference on consumer protection was held on 26-27 October, 2017 in New Delhi in association with UNCTAD having participation from countries in the East, South and South-East Asia with the theme “Empowering Consumers in New Markets”. Around 1800 delegates including around 60 foreign delegates participated in the conference. The main issues discussed were United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection and their Implementation; Stakeholder Participation in Consumer Protection; Protection of Online Consumers; Fostering Consumer Inclusion in Financial Services; Consumer Education and Empowerment; and Special Challenges in Protecting Vulnerable and Economically Disadvantaged Consumers. The Conference inter-alia drew conclusions such as - comprehensive implementation of the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection as a priority for Governments and stakeholders in ensuring more effective and better-coordinated protection efforts in all countries and across all areas of commerce; Protection of consumers’ rights in the digital context as a key for a sustainable and inclusive development of e-commerce, which also needs to address cross-border cooperation and enforcement etc.


2. The Union Government has approved on 20.12.2017 the introduction of new Consumer Protection Bill, 2017 in Parliament to further protect the interest of consumer by:


i) Strengthening the existing Act,

ii) Faster redressal of Consumer Grievances,

iii) Empowering Consumers, and

iv) Modernizing legislation to keep pace with ongoing change in market.


AK
 

Hindustani78

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Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
02-January, 2018 13:48 IST

Availability of Urea in 45 Kg bags instead of 50 Kg bags may bring down consumption of Urea by 10%: Shri Rao Inderjit Singh

Minister of State for Planning (IC) and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh, in a written reply to a question on innovative solutions taken by the Government to cut urea consumption, in Lok Sabha today, informed that with the objective of encouraging balanced use of fertilizers, Department of Fertilizers has made it mandatory for all the domestic producers of urea to produce 100% as Neem Coated Urea (NCU). Entire quantity of both indigenously produced urea and imported urea is being neem coated w.e.f 1st September, 2015 and 1st December, 2015 respectively.


One of the primary benefits of Neem coating is the slow release of urea, which results in increased Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE). Due to NUE, the consumption of Neem Coated Urea reduces as compared to normal urea, the Minister added.


Shri Singh also informed that in the light of increased effectiveness of NCU, Government of India vide notification dated 4th September, 2017, has decided to introduce 45 Kg bag of urea in place of existing 50 Kg bags and a period of six months have been given to urea units as lead time to ensure smooth implementation of the policy.


Further, the Minister stated that since farmers mostly assess the requirement of urea in terms of bags for agriculture purpose, it is estimated that the availability of urea in 45 Kg bags instead of 50 Kg bag may bring down consumption of Urea by 10%. The All India consumption of urea (Neem Coated Urea Consumption) for the last 3 years is given below:


S. No.
Year
NCU Consumption (LMT)


1.
2014-15
306.10

2.
2015-16
306.35

3.
2016-17
296.14


The Minister added that the import of urea is based on demand supply gap dynamics. The Government of India has allocated Rs. 14,000 Crore for Imported Urea in the Budgetary Estimates (BE) 2017-18.


*****
 

Hindustani78

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Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
03-January, 2018 02:26IST

Cabinet approves extension of norms for mandatory packaging in Jute Materials

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for mandatory packaging of foodgrains and sugar in the jute material for the Jute Year 2017-18. The decision would sustain the core demand for the jute sector and support the livelihood of the workers and farmers dependent on the sector. The Jute Year 2017-18 period is from 1st July 2017 to 30th June, 2018.

Features:

  1. The CCEA has extended the mandatory packaging norms under the Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987.
  2. The approval mandates that 90% of the food grains and 20% of the sugar products shall be mandatorily packed in jute bags.
  3. The decision also mandates, in the first instance, the entire requirement for packing of food grains would be placed in jute bags thus, making a provision for 100% packing of food grains in jute bags subject to the ability of the jute industry to meet the requirement.
Impact:

The decision will benefit farmers and workers located in the Eastern and North Eastern regions of the country particularly in West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura.

Measures taken by Government to give a boost to Jute industry:

Jute industry is predominantly dependent on Government sector which purchases jute products more than Rs. 5,500 crore every year. Considering that nearly 3.7 lakh workers and approximately 40 lakh farmers are dependent for their livelihood on the jute sectors, the government has been making concerted efforts for the development of jute sector; increasing the quality and productivity of raw jute, diversification of jute sector and also boosting and sustaining demand for jute products. These include-

  1. With a view to boosting demand in the jute sector, Government of India has imposed Definitive Anti Dumping Duty on import of jute goods from Bangladesh and Nepal with effect from 5th January, 2017. As a result of these measures, 13 Twine mills in Andhra Pradesh had resumed operation, benefitting 20000 workers. Further, imposition of Definitive Anti Dumping Duty has provided scope for an additional demand of 2 lakh MT of jute goods in the domestic market for the Indian jute industry.


  1. In order to improve the productivity and quality of raw jute through a carefully designed intervention, called the Jute ICARE, the Government has been supporting close to one lakh jute farmers by disseminating improved agronomic practices such as line sowing using seed drills, weed management by using wheel-hoeing and nail-weeders, distribution of quality certified seeds and also providing microbial assisted retting. These interventions have resulted in enhancing the quality and productivity of raw jute and increasing income of jute farmers by Rs. 10,000 per hectare.


  1. In order to support jute farmers, Jute Corporation of India (JCI) has been given a grant of Rs. 204 crore for 4 years starting from 2014-15 to enable JCI to conduct MSP operations and ensure price stabilization in the jute sector.


  1. With a view to supporting diversification of jute sector, the National Jute Board has collaborated with National Institute of Design and a Jute Design Cell has been opened at Gandhinagar.


  1. Promotion of Jute Geo Textiles and Agro-Textiles has been taken up with the state governments particularly those in the North Eastern region and also with departments such as Ministry of Road Transport and Ministry of Water Resources.


  1. In order to promote transparency in jute sector, Jute SMART an e-govt initiative was launched in December, 2016, providing an integrated platform for procurement of B-Twill sacking by Government agencies. Further, the JCI is transferring 100% funds to jute farmers online on the jute procurement under MSP and commercial operations.


****
 

Hindustani78

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Ministry of Earth Science
03 -January, 2018 06:08IST

IMD CENTRES

The Gramin Krishi Mausam Seva (GKMS) of India Meteorological Department (IMD) is rendered twice a week in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and Institutions of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). District level weather forecast for next 5- days in respect of Rainfall, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity and clouds, weekly cumulative rainfall forecast and crop specific agro meteorological advisories are provided to farmers. The GKMS of IMD has been successful in providing the crop specific agro meteorological advisories in vernacular languages to about 22 million farmers in the country.

IMD has taken a decision to set up a Centre at Mangalagiri in Andhra Pradesh. Joint efforts are undertaking with Government of Andhra Pradesh to identify suitable land in the surrounding zone of planned Greenfield airport at Manglagiri. Karnataka State has already a Meteorological Centre functioning at Bengaluru to cater to the weather services for the state.

At present, Meteorological Centre, Hyderabad caters to the weather services for the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Besides this, Cyclone Warning Centre at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) is providing cyclone warnings.

This information was given by Minister of State for Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences Shri Y.S.Chowdary in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

***

Ministry of Earth Science

03 -January, 2018 06:12IST

Monsoon Mission


Under the National Monsoon Mission initiative, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), NOIDA have embarked upon to build a state-of-the-art coupled ocean atmospheric model for a) improved prediction of monsoon rainfall on extended range to seasonal time scale (16 days to one season) and b) improved prediction of temperature, rainfall and extreme weather events on short to medium range time scale (up to 15 days) so that forecast skill gets quantitatively improved further for operational services of India Meteorological Department (IMD). For the first time, India Meteorological Department used the Monsoon Mission dynamical model to prepare operational seasonal forecast of 2017 monsoon rainfall over India.

IMD in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) provides district level agro meteorological advisories to farmers through 130 agromet field units. Currently, about 22 million farmers are receiving crop specific agro-meteorological advisories in vernacular languages. These advisories are used for critical farm operations Viz. (i) Management of sowing (Delayed onset of rains); (ii) Changing crop variety (Delay in rainfall); (iii) Spraying Pesticides for disease control (occurrence of rainfall); (iv) Managing Irrigation (Heavy rainfall Forecast).

India Meteorological Department (IMD) provides meteorological support to the Central Water Commission (CWC) for issuing flood warnings. The allocation for the Monsoon Mission for the period 2012-17 was Rs. 400.00 crores and for the period 2017-20 is Rs 151 crores.

This information was given by Minister of State for Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences Shri Y.S.Chowdary in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



***
 

Hindustani78

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Ministry of Textiles
03-January, 2018 02:31IST

Cabinet approves extension of norms for mandatory packaging in Jute Materials

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for mandatory packaging of foodgrains and sugar in the jute material for the Jute Year 2017-18. The decision would sustain the core demand for the jute sector and support the livelihood of the workers and farmers dependent on the sector. The Jute Year 2017-18 period is from 1st July 2017 to 30th June, 2018.

Features:

  1. The CCEA has extended the mandatory packaging norms under the Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987.
  2. The approval mandates that 90% of the food grains and 20% of the sugar products shall be mandatorily packed in jute bags.
  3. The decision also mandates, in the first instance, the entire requirement for packing of food grains would be placed in jute bags thus, making a provision for 100% packing of food grains in jute bags subject to the ability of the jute industry to meet the requirement.
Impact:

The decision will benefit farmers and workers located in the Eastern and North Eastern regions of the country particularly in West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura.

Measures taken by Government to give a boost to Jute industry:

Jute industry is predominantly dependent on Government sector which purchases jute products more than Rs. 5,500 crore every year. Considering that nearly 3.7 lakh workers and approximately 40 lakh farmers are dependent for their livelihood on the jute sectors, the government has been making concerted efforts for the development of jute sector; increasing the quality and productivity of raw jute, diversification of jute sector and also boosting and sustaining demand for jute products. These include-



  1. With a view to boosting demand in the jute sector, Government of India has imposed Definitive Anti Dumping Duty on import of jute goods from Bangladesh and Nepal with effect from 5th January, 2017. As a result of these measures, 13 Twine mills in Andhra Pradesh had resumed operation, benefitting 20000 workers. Further, imposition of Definitive Anti Dumping Duty has provided scope for an additional demand of 2 lakh MT of jute goods in the domestic market for the Indian jute industry.


  1. In order to improve the productivity and quality of raw jute through a carefully designed intervention, called the Jute ICARE, the Government has been supporting close to one lakh jute farmers by disseminating improved agronomic practices such as line sowing using seed drills, weed management by using wheel-hoeing and nail-weeders, distribution of quality certified seeds and also providing microbial assisted retting. These interventions have resulted in enhancing the quality and productivity of raw jute and increasing income of jute farmers by Rs. 10,000 per hectare.


  1. In order to support jute farmers, Jute Corporation of India (JCI) has been given a grant of Rs. 204 crore for 4 years starting from 2014-15 to enable JCI to conduct MSP operations and ensure price stabilization in the jute sector.


  1. With a view to supporting diversification of jute sector, the National Jute Board has collaborated with National Institute of Design and a Jute Design Cell has been opened at Gandhinagar.


  1. Promotion of Jute Geo Textiles and Agro-Textiles has been taken up with the state governments particularly those in the North Eastern region and also with departments such as Ministry of Road Transport and Ministry of Water Resources.


  1. In order to promote transparency in jute sector, Jute SMART an e-govt initiative was launched in December, 2016, providing an integrated platform for procurement of B-Twill sacking by Government agencies. Further, the JCI is transferring 100% funds to jute farmers online on the jute procurement under MSP and commercial operations.


****
 

Hindustani78

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Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
5 -January, 2018 05:07IST

Rabi Crops Sowing Crosses 586 Lakh Hactare

As per preliminary reports received from the States, the total area sown under Rabi crops as on 5th January 2018 stands at 586.37 lakh hectares as compared to 587.62 lakh hectare this time in 2017.

Wheat has been sown/transplanted in 283.46 lakh hectares, rice in 18.77 lakh hectares, pulses in 154.91 lakh hectares, coarse cereals in 52.54 lakh hectares and area sown under oilseeds is 76.69 lakh hectares.

The area sown so far and that sown during last year this time is as follows:

Lakh hectare

Crop

Area sown in 2017-18
Area sown in 2016-17

Wheat
283.46
297.67

Rice
18.77
12.99

Pulses
154.91
143.45

Coarse Cereals
52.54
52.75

Oilseeds
76.69
80.77

Total
586.37
587.62


***
 

Hindustani78

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Ministry of Finance
5 -January, 2018 03:36IST

Schemes for Farmer’s Welfare

Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme meets the financial requirements of farmers at various stages of farming. The scheme aims at providing adequate and timely credit support from the banking system under a single window with flexible and simplified procedure to the farmers for their cultivation and other needs as indicated below:


  1. To meet the short term credit requirements for cultivation of crops;
  2. Post-harvest expenses;
  3. Produce marketing loan;
  4. Consumption requirements of farmer household;
  5. Working capital for maintenance of farm assets and activities allied to agriculture;
  6. Investment credit requirement for agriculture and allied activities.


The KCC scheme also provides the facility of ATM enabled RuPay Card, one-time documentation, built-in cost escalation in the limit and any number of drawals within the limit.

The farmers eligible under the KCC scheme include small farmers, marginal farmers, share croppers, oral lessee and tenant farmers. The Self Help Groups (SHGs) or Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) are also eligible for availing benefits under the said scheme.


This was stated by Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



*****
 

Hindustani78

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Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
6 -January, 2018 04:36IST


Farmers can increase income by adopting technologies like crop rotation, integrated farming, organic farming, double/triple cropping system


In the changing global competitiveness, there is a tremendous scope for improvement in agriculture in the North-East region, including Meghalaya
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh addressed a gathering at the North-East Regional Agriculture Fair 2018 organised by the ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern Hill (NEH) Region, Umiam, Meghalaya.

He said ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam, since its inception has done many basic, strategic and applied research specific to the farming problems of the NEH Region. It developed 32 location specific farming system and agro-forestry models, including viable alternatives to shifting cultivation, release of 56 crop varieties, which includes 37 rice varieties, identifying high yielding livestock and fish species/breeds, packaging of practices for field and horticultural crops including production technology for 32 crops on cropping system basis, livestock and fish farming practices, crop and livestock production measures etc. are some of the salient research achievements of the institute. Recognising the need for the skilled human resource in the development of agriculture, the Central Agricultural University, Imphal, has been strengthened. Before the Modi Government, there were only seven colleges in the eastern states, which has been increased to 13 in the last three-and-a-half-year and it includes a horticulture college and an agricultural college in Badapani, Meghalaya. Earlier, there were 5 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in Meghalaya and now the state has seven.

The Minister appreciated ICAR, NEH Region, Umiam, for launching the programme to double the income of the farmers on a pilot basis in the villages adopted by them in the next 5 years. He said 90 per cent assistance is given to North-East states and Meghalaya should accelerate the implementation of these schemes.

Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh said the Government has initiated different flagship programmes for the welfare of the people living in rural areas, especially farming communities by improving the current farming systems and thereby doubling their income from agriculture and allied sectors. The Minister said this at the North Eastern Regional Agriculture Fair 2018 organised by the ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam.

In the changing global competitiveness, there is a tremendous scope for improvement in agricultural in the North-East region, including Meghalaya. Continuous employment generation in farming sectors through location-specific technologies in a profitable manner in partnership with different stakeholders are the driving forces to attract and retain youth in agriculture. The cooperation and convergence among the states, public, private and other stakeholders in the state and sharing of information, technology, knowledge and resources can play a key role in mutual development by saving of precious natural resources and time.

The Minister said that through the adoption of improved technologies, the productivity and farmers’ income can be increased. The superior quality horticultural crops such as orange, pineapple, flowers, etc. can be produced in the region and the surplus can be marketed with the effective supply chain management, a key area that needs intervention. The farmers can increase their income by adopting technologies like crop rotation, integrated farming, organic farming, double/triple cropping system by the farmers instead of relying on traditional farming.

To boost the agriculture sector, the Indian government has set up an ambitious goal to double farmers’ income by 2022. For this, the government has started various schemes - from irrigation, soil health management, organic farming to crop insurance. The government of Meghalaya should utilise the amount allocated under Prime Minister's Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. The state government has failed to spend the funds amounting to over Rs. 50 lakh allotted for micro-irrigation under Per Drop More Crop scheme. It is lying unused for four years. In FY 2015-16, Rs 1.44 crores was given for water management and water harvesting, the government could not spend the amount in that year.

Even in the year 2016-17, it was unable to spend Rs 32 lakhs and for the year 2017-18, the state has Rs 2.2 crores and according to the information, the expenditure report has not been submitted to the Government of India. In FY 2015-17, Rs 44 lakhs was allocated to the Meghalaya government for Soil Health Card (SHC) and as per the information available, so far 2,09,000 Soil Health Cards have been distributed. And this year Rs 53 lakh has been allocated for SHC.

Meghalaya is organic by default and a new scheme was launched after Modi government came to the power and allocated funds to the state. The utility certificate of Rs 1.59 crorea allocated in FY 2016-17 has not yet been sent to the Government of India. The funds allocated by the Modi government in the last four years under oilseeds and oil palm mission wasn’t utilised between 2014-15 and 2015-16. In FY 2016-17, only Rs 57 lakh has been spent.

The Government allocated Rs 1.5 crores in FY 2017-18, and out of that Rs 80 lakhs has already been released. So far, we don’t have any report of expenditure. I would like to tell the state government to speed up implementation of the schemes started by the Modi Government to increase the income of the farmers.




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Hindustani78

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Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
25-January, 2018 14:00 IST
Status of Cane Price Arrears

Despite higher production and lower sugar prices in the current season as compared to previous sugar season, the cane price arrears are relatively lower than the previous season as a consequence of various measures taken by the Government of India and efforts of the State Governments. As on date, cane price arrears in current season on SAP basis is at Rs 7826 Crore in comparison to Rs.8982 Crore during the corresponding period of last sugar season. Even the cane price arrears for sugar season 2016-17 have been reduced to only Rs.52 Crores (on FRP basis) and Rs.1076 Crores (on SAP basis) against cane dues payable of Rs. 57,608 Crore. Thus, about 99.9% of cane dues (on FRP basis) in respect of sugar season 2016-17 have been cleared. Even in respect of 2015-16 sugar season, only Rs. 122 Crores (on FRP basis) and Rs. 710 Crore (on SAP basis) are pending and payments for earlier year arrears are in process.

2. The crushing of sugar cane during the current season is in full swing and the mills will be able to liquidate their cane dues by the sale of sugar and their by-products in coming days.

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Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
06-February, 2018 13:22 IST
US$ 1.08 million saved during April-December 2017 due to decline in Urea Imports: Shri Rao Inderjit Singh

Shri Singh gives details on Current Progress on Revival of 5 Closed Fertilizer Units

Minister of State for Planning (IC) and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh, in a written reply to a question on status of Urea Imports and steps taken by Government to increases fertilizer production in the country, in Lok Sabha today, informed that the import of urea is made on Government account to bridge the gap between estimated indigenous production and assessed demand in the country. The import during the year 2017-18 (Apr-Dec) was 49.83 Lakh MT as against the import of 49.88 Lakh MT in the year 2016-17 for the same duration. Thus there is a decline of 0.05 Lakh MT in import of urea during 2017-18 (Apr-Dec) over previous year. Based on the weighted average price of urea imports during the current year i.e. US$ 216.86 PMT CFR, the saving work out to US$ 1.08 million, the Minister informed.



Informing the House that the production of other fertilizers has also increased in the country, Shri Singh gave details of the production of urea and other fertilizers during the last three years and current year (up to Dec, 17) are as below:




Year
Urea
A/S
DAP
Complex
SSP
Total



2014-15
225.85
4.41
34.44
78.32
42.36
385.39


2015-16
244.75
4.14
37.87
83.01
43.39
413.14


2016-17
242.01
4.90
43.65
79.66
44.18
414.41


2017-18(upto Dec,17)
177.84
4.14
36.88
63.01
30.03
311.90

The Minister also informed about the initiative taken by the Government for revival of closed fertilizer units and stated that during the last two years Government of India has approved revival of five units namely, Ramagundam, Sindri, Gorakhpur and Talcher units of FCIL and Barauni unit of HFCL. Shri Singh gave details on current progress, which is as given below:



Ramagundam Unit:

Ramagundam unit of FCIL is being revived on nomination basis by consortium of PSUs namely Engineers India Limited (EIL), National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) and FCIL by setting up a gas based fertilizer plant of 1.27 MMTPA capacity. The Joint Venture agreement was signed on 14.1. 2015. JV Company named Ramagundam Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited has been formed. Project construction activities are under progress. As on 15th January 2018, 69.5% of physical progress of the project has been made. The project is likely to be commissioned by 31.12.2018, the Minister added.



Gorakhpur & Sindri units of FCIL and Barauni Unit of HFCL

Gorakhpur, Sindri and Barauni units are being revived by means of a Special Purpose Vehicle of Public Sector Undertakings namely, National Thermal Power Corporation, Coal India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited and Fertilizer Corporation India Limited/Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Limited by setting up gas based fertilizer plants of 1.27 MMTPA capacity each. A Joint Venture company by name Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (HURL) has been formed. Progress made so far is as under:



Pre project activities are under progress. The following pre-project activities have been completed in respect of all the three project:

  • Pre-feasibility
  • Geo technical investigation and topographic studies
  • Hydro geological and ground water study for water availability
  • Environment clearances have been obtained
  • Building/office renovation work has been started and full-fledged site offices have been established at all the 3 locations.
  • Pre project works like site development, construction water and power facility have already begun at Gorakhpur & Barauni.
  • The technical and commercial evaluation of all the bids for all three projects have been completed.


The above three projects likely to start production by 2020, the Minister added.



Talcher Unit:



Talcher Unit of FCIL is being revived on ‘Nomination basis’ by a Consortium of PSUs namely RCF, GAIL, CIL and FCIL by setting up a coal based fertilizer plant of 1.27 MMTPA capacity. A JV Company Talcher Fertilizers Limited (TFL) has been formed.



Progress made so far as under:

  • Coal gasification technology has been selected.
  • Pre project activities are under progress.
  • Environment clearance has been obtained.
  • Power Price Parity for Bridge Linkage Coal approved by Coal Ministry.
  • MoU with IOC for Pet-coke signed on 10.08.17


The Talcher project is likely to start production by 2021, the Minister added.



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Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
06-February, 2018 13:23 IST
Steps taken by Government to attract fresh investments in the Urea Sector

Commercial Production of 1.3 MMTPA Coal Bed Methane based Greenfield Ammonia-Urea complex of Matix Fertilisers & Chemicals Limited at Panagarh, West Bengal started on 1st October, 2017: Shri Rao Inderjit Singh

Minister of State for Planning (IC) and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh, in a written reply to a question on concrete steps taken by the Government to attract fresh investments in the urea sector and to make the country self-sufficient in this sector, in Lok Sabha today, informed that the Government has announced New Investment Policy – 2012 (NIP-2012) on 2nd January, 2013 and its amendment on 7th October 2014 to facilitate fresh investment in urea sector and to make India self-sufficient in the urea sector.

Shri Singh informed that under the provisions of NIP-2012 and its amendment, Matix Fertilisers & Chemicals Limited (Matix) has set up a Coal Bed Methane (CBM) based Greenfield Ammonia-Urea complex at Panagarh, West Bengal with the installed capacity of 1.3 MMT per annum. The commercial production of Matix has started on 1st October, 2017. Chambal Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited (CFCL) has also proposed to set up a brownfield project with capacity of 1.34 MMT at Gadepan, Rajasthan, which is likely to start commercial production in January, 2019.

The Minister further informed that the installed capacity of 30 urea manufacturing units is 207.54 LMT against which the total indigenous urea production during the year 2015-16 and 2016-17 was 244.75 LMT and 242.01 LMT respectively. In order to increase the production of fertilizers by Central PSUs, Government has decided to revive closed units namely Gorakhpur, Sindri, Talcher and Ramagundam units of (FCIL) and Barauni unit of Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Limited (HFCL) by setting up of 1.27 Million Metric Tonne per annum urea plant at these units. All of these units are targeted to become operational by 2020-21, Shri Singh added.

In addition to above, the Government has also decided to install a new Urea plant of 8.646 Lakh Metric Ton (LMT) per annum in the existing premises of Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL), which will subsequently replace the existing Namrup II (Capacity 2.40 LMT) and Namrup III (Capacity 2.70 LMT) units, the Minister added.

In a written reply to a separate question in Lok Sabha today, Shri Singh informed that the total urea capacity in the country capacity after revamping of the five units at Gorakhpur, Sindri, Talcher and Ramagundam and Barauni is likely to be 304.5 LMTPA. In addition, two plants of combined capacity of 26.4 LMTPA are also being set up/commissioned in the private sector. This will further augment capacity to nearly 33 MMTPA. This augmentation in production capacity should help India in moving towards achieving self-sufficiency in urea, the Minister added.



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Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
24-May, 2018 15:41 IST
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare meets Ms. Carola Schouten, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of Netherlands

India & Netherlands discuss ways to strengthen partnership in agriculture and allied sectors Union Agriculture Minister stresses on need for infusing modern technology in India’s agriculture with focus on making technology affordable to small and marginal farmers

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh today met Ms. Carola Schouten, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Netherlands in Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi and expressed his desire to further strengthen the existing partnership between the two countries in agriculture and allied sectors.


Shri Singh reiterated the Government’s resolve to double the income of farmers by 2022 and the initiatives taken & stressed on the need for infusing modern technology in India’s agriculture. He further added that Netherlands is a global leader in construction of greenhouses as well as in the cultivation of flowers, plants and vegetables, and the diversification of agriculture sector into areas like livestock and plant-cultivation sectors.”



Shri Singh expressed happiness at the regular convening of Joint Working Group, the 5th having been held in March 2018, where discussions on a wide range of issues took place and extended the Action Plan till 2021.



Union Agriculture Minister said a major success of the Indo Dutch collaboration has been the commissioning of the Centre of Excellence (CoEs) for vegetables at Baramati in Maharashtra. The second CoE for flowers at Talegaon, Maharashtra will be ready soon. Others are in various stages of completion and the focus is on making technology affordable to the small and marginal Indian farmers.



Shri Singh said other identifiable areas of interest for further cooperation such as technology for crop residue management and cooperation in the field of bovine breeding; dairy development, animal health and porcine development etc. are also being looked into.
 

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