Tomato farmers from Haryana to Tamil Nadu have been forced to abandon their crop in the field or dump the harvest.
Most key rabi-producing states of north India, such as Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, have staggered their procurement to enable farmers to come in batches, so that there is no overcrowding. The Centre has also set up a call centre to coordinate the inter-state movement of farm commodities.
India needs a second green revolution along with the next generation of reforms with a view to make agriculture more climate-resistant and environmentally sustainable, said an RBI article on farm sector challenges. Observing that Indian agriculture has exhibited remarkable resilience during the COVID-19 period, the article said "new emerging challenges warrant a second green revolution along with next-generation reforms". Despite the success in terms of production that has ensured food security in the country, food inflation and its volatility remain a challenge, which requires supply-side interventions such as higher public investment, storage infrastructure and promotion of food processing, said the article titled 'Indian Agriculture: Achievements and Challenges'.
Under GST, the small and medium industries would have to handle things on their own, says V S Krishnan.
Retail tomato prices are ruling at Rs 80 per kg in most cities across India but the rates have shot up to as high as Rs 120 per kg in few southern states because of widespread rains, according to government data. In Chennai, retail price of tomato was at Rs 100 per kg, Puducherry Rs 90 per kg, Bengalure Rs 88 per kg and Hyderabad Rs 65 per kg. In Kerala, retail prices of tomato are ruling at Rs 120 per kg in Kottayam, Rs 110 per kg in Ernakulam, Rs 103 per kg in Tiruvananthapuram, Rs 100 per kg in Palakkad, Rs 97 per kg in Trissure, and Rs 90 per kg in Wayanad and Kozikode.
Kiran Vissa, co-convenor of National Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, said that amendments to the EC Act have nothing to do with farmers' welfare but instead meant to please big players and agriculture companies. This is because small and marginal farmers don't have the storage capacity to attract provisions of the EC Act.
'Government intervention in agricultural trade is a problem for farmers.'
With 3,000 tonnes of imported onion entering the market over the next fortnight, the price should start cooling off. Soon after, the new crop of onions will arrive, further reducing prices.
Data from the Nashik-based National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation showed that onion was trading at at Rs 24 a kg on Tuesday in the benchmark Lasalgaon mandi in Nashik district of Maharashtra. That's a fall of four per cent since Monday and 40 per cent from Rs 40 a kg on January 20, a level not seen since November 6, 2019. It continues to sell at Rs 40-44 a kg in retail markets across the country.
Without strong storage facilities, bumper harvest has resulted in price crash
With the availability of improved seed varieties, India may soon surpass China as the world's leading producer of vegetables and fruits, government research body IIHR said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released Rs 20,946 crore to 10.09 crore farmers across India as the 10th installment of financial aid under the PM-KISAN scheme and said there was a need for innovation in agriculture along with promotion of natural farming. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is provided to the eligible farmer families, payable in three equal installments of Rs 2,000. The PM-KISAN scheme was announced in the February 2019 Budget.
The work of reconstruction in the flood-ravaged Kashmir could get delayed by at least 6 months due to the mass exodus of migrant labour force in the wake of the natural calamity that hit the valley causing huge damage to infrastructure -- both public as well as private.
'We are not promising prosperity to these villagers. Instead, the focus is on self-sufficiency.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Centre has transferred around Rs 1,35,000 crore so far under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme with the payment of eighth instalment on Friday and is also procuring higher quantity of paddy and wheat at minimum support price to boost farmers' income.
The government also proposed promoting 'one product one district' for better marketing and export of horticulture crops. It also called on states for early implementation of three key central model laws on land leasing, agriculture produce and livestock marketing and contract farming.
To tide over the difficulties due to incessant shutdowns, several farmers in Maharashtra have turned into aggregators and started selling their produce without the help of mandis or agents. They have started contracting with bulk consumers like hypermarkets and co-operative housing societies to sell their produce directly.
Fourteen states that include Maharashtra, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have amended the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act this year. This allows farmers to sell their produce directly to buyers offering them the best price.
Farmers reported a massive crop damage in transit in addition to huge quantity of the potato left unharvested due to mud in the field.
This could be the reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned tomato, onion, and potato as his government's 'TOP' priority, in an election rally on February 5 in poll-bound Karnataka.
The Andhra Pradesh government is now the registered proprietor of the GI tag for the mango variety often hailed as "the king of fruits".
Traders said wholesale prices are firm as supplies from producing regions have been lower in the past couple of days.
The agriculture ministry projects India's tomato output at 19.69 million tonnes in 2016-17 (July-June)
In UP, potato prices have moved marginally up so far this month.
Since March 2020, WPI food inflation rate continued to fall but the CPI-food inflation rose, signaling a breakdown in supply chain from the mandis to the final household.
India exports about 1.5 mt of onion every year.
Prices have continued to move up in Delhi's markets, wholesale and retail, on supply worries and spoilage due to record cold weather.
The services sector, which plays the biggest role in shaping the economy, is facing loads of issues currently. The largest segments, financial and real estate, are struggling to cope with bad debts and low demand for houses.
The North Eastern states of Mizoram and Meghalaya are making their colourful presence felt in markets across the country and abroad, thanks to the anthriums and roses produced by them. In Meghalaya, roses are cultivated by female gardeners who often belong to local self-help groups. The mass cultivation of roses and anthriums started in November 2002.
King of fruits, mango, will not come cheap this year.
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India eats 1.2 million tonnes of onions a month and the current stock will last till the end of August.
'Several businesses like entertainment, hospitality, travel etc would never be the same again.'
At the bottom of the water index for 2016-17 are Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh (UP), and Haryana, which are major producers of paddy, wheat, along with a host of horticulture crops.
The plucking of dussehri, which will hit the shelves next week at 50% premium, started late this season, because of poor crop and adverse weather conditions, including hailstorms, in the orchards of Malihabad.
United States Navy scientists have successfully flown a radio-controlled airplane that runs purely on fuel derived from sea water.
Vegetable, fruit prices to be on the rise over weak supply, crop damage
Trade sources believe that tomato supply from Maharashtra has slumped due to incessant rain in the state towards the fag end of the monsoon season, reports Dilip Kumar Jha.
Here's the full text of President's Ram Nath Kovind's address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on the first of Budget Session 2022.
Not only primary vegetables, but also additives like garlic, ginger and chilly have recorded a sharp increase in prices
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