Latest Agricultural News

The Financial Express
New Delhi, 18 August 2011
Food security Bill to be tabled in winter session, says Thomas
KV Thomas, minister for food and civil supplies has said that the UPA government is expected to table the food security Bill in the winter session of Parliament in stead of in the ongoing monsoon session. The food security bill aims at giving legal entitlement to highly subsidised food grains to around 70% of the population. According to the Bill, 75% of the rural households will get subsidised grain. As said by Thomas Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) and the law ministry has already approved the draft of the bill. "They have maintained the core of the draft of the proposed Bill. The Bill has been sent to the states for their opinion. The PM would call a meeting of the states prior to the finalisation of the Bill," Thomas said. According to the food minister, majority recommendations of National Advisory Council (NAC) have been incorporated in the bill. The issue of the number of families to be included as priority households would be decided in consultation with the states, he added. Reports suggest in order to avoid imports of grains for implementation of the proposed Bill in case of failure of monsoon, the government has incorporated a clause in the Bill which would allow beneficiaries to get cash instead of food grains.

The Tribune
New Delhi, 18 August 2011
Centre gives nod to more warehouses
The centre has approved construction of more warehouses in Punjab. The move has come due the pressure built after repeated requests from the state government. According to DS Grewal, Secretary, Food and Supplies these warehouses will create space for stacking 7.2 lakh tonnes of food grain. Grewal has said that proposal for another warehouse with a capacity to stack 2 lakh tonnes of grain was yet to be granted approval. He also said that warehouse with a capacity to stack 12.29 lakh tonnes of grain were under construction. Besides, the government had floated tenders inviting bids for the construction of warehouses to stack 22 lakh tonnes of food grain. Grewal has said that there is an anticipation of a sizeable increase in the state's storage capacity in a year or so. Currently, about 200 lakh tonnes of food grain in the state is stacked in the open. According to estimates by government procurement agencies, there will be a stock of 300 lakh tonnes of wheat and rice by the end of this fiscal year. By then about 80-90 lakh tonnes would be moved to other states. This implies that on April 1 next year, before the beginning of the harvesting of wheat, there will be a stock of about 210 lakh tonnes of wheat and rice in the state

The Tribune
New Delhi, 18 August 2011
Shots fired as farmers resist land acquisition
In spite of the growing protests by farmers, the Bathinda Development Authority acquired 43 acres of land and flattened 16 acres of cotton crop in Bathinda, Punjab. The situation has worsened as amidst the police security, gunshots were fired by some unscrupulous elements. Two media persons covering the incident have also been reported to be beaten up. Both minorly injured media persons have been treated at the local Civil Hospital. They have alleged that the person who opened fire was not arrested by the police. In stead they were let off and 'escorted to safety' by the police. Sukhchain Singh Gill, SSP of Bathinda called for a press meet in the evening and admitted lapses on the part of the DSP and the SHO deployed at the site. "I admit the policemen erred in beating up media persons. He said that the DSP and the SHO will not be assigned any further duty till the accused is arrested. A case has been registered against Amarjeet Singh Happy of Green Avenue, Gurtej Singh of Amarpura Basti and Jaskaran Singh of Mehma Sarja village under Section 307 of the IPC and Sections 25, 27, 54, 69 of the Arms Act. Efforts are on to nab all the three.The Bathinda Development Authority has acquired 185 acres of land to build Modern Town Phase IV and V. Family member of the affected farmers were seen crying helplessly. They alleged the government had purchased their fertile land at a paltry sum to further sell it at an exorbitant price.

Mail Today
New Delhi, 17 August 2011
Ministerial shift in govt’s new GM crop regulation
The government has decided to take away regulatory powers on genetically modified crops (GM) from the environment ministry. This is a major shift in the regulatory regime for GM crops. The government has decided to entrust the powers to a centralised three- member committee that will be housed in the ministry of science and technology which is a funding agency for GM crop development. The chairperson and two members of the proposed regulatory body will be selected by a committee of officials under the convenership of an official of the department of biotechnology, according to the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India ( BRAI). The Bill also opens up the regulatory body to private sector intervention by permitting four private sector members in the biotechnology advisory committee which is supposed to advice the regulator on matters related to regulatory mechanism. Currently the genetic engineering appraisal committee ( GEAC), acts as regulatory body for GM crops. Jairam Ramesh, as the environment minister, had imposed a moratorium on commercial release of GM brinjal last year following health and environmental concerns.Ramesh had also mandated that no GM crops should be introduced without concurrence of states.In the new regulatory regime, states will have no role. Besides concentrating all powers to three people instead of the 30 members as before, the Bill states that biosafety data of GM crops will not be made public, overriding the RTI Act. Critics are up against the new bill. When an inter ministerial body like GEAC could be found lacking rigour or independence so often in the past, how can BRAI with just three members be trusted to take independent decisions?" Kavitha Kuruganti of Coalition for GM- free India said. "The combination of a promoter sitting as regulator and denying information to public is a recipe for an autocratic, non- transparent single window clearance for GM crops," Greenpeace said in a statement.

The Economic Times
New Delhi, 17 August 2011
Global Food Prices Rise 33% in a Year
According to a World Bank report, the global food prices are 33 per cent higher in July from a year ago. It has warned that the stocks are at alarmingly low level. However, there has been an improvement in the supply since April as given in the report. The World Bank's Food Price Index shows prices of a number of food commodities have increased sharply over the last twelve months. Prices of maize were up 84% in July from a year ago, sugar 62%, wheat 55% and soybean oil 47%. "Coupled with the fact that the realization of the forecast yields is itself contingent on benign weather conditions in the major exporting countries, the low stock environment has created a situation in which even small shortfalls in yields can have amplified effects on prices," the World Bank said in its report. India may have to review its food export policy due the global food price hike. The government has opened rice and wheat exports after food inflation had moderated to less than 8%, but in recent weeks it has accelerated again to nearly 10%. Abundant grain stocks and restrictions on exports have kept India mostly free from the influence of global food price hike. So far, the government has only allowed limited export of one million tonne (MT) non-basmati rice, 1.5 MT sugar and an unspecified amount of wheat to prevent any speculative flare-up in prices. Food grain stocks are also at unmanageably high levels. At the beginning of August the country had food stocks of over 61 million tonnes. "In terms of food grains, India is relatively insulated from global prices because it doesn't allow exports," said Ashok Gulati, chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices. "But this situation can't continue for long. The farmers must be allowed to reap the benefits of higher prices because their costs have gone up," he added advocating the opening up exports in a calibrated manner.

Business Standard
New Delhi, 18 August 2011
With good August rain, Bihar expects bumper paddy, maize output
With a favorable monsoon mood over the state, Bihar expects bumper production of paddy and maize. The agriculture department expects paddy sowing to be on 3.5 million hectares, a million ha more than last year. The government is aiming for a more than two-fold rise in paddy output, from last year's 3.2 mt. The department also expects a rise in the average yield. The department is also expecting an increase in the output of maize and pulses. The targeted maize acreage is 375,000 ha and 300,000 ha has been achieved. Production is expected to be a million tonnes, against 700,000 tonnes last year. As for pulses, sowing is expected on 125,000 ha; it has taken place on 62,000 ha. The department expects production of 160,000 tonnes. "Last year was very difficult for us, but that is past. We are hoping for a good crop this year," said Ashok Kumar Sinha, agriculture production commissioner. "If everything goes as expected, in this season we will be producing seven million tonnes of paddy and almost a million tonnes of maize. We are expecting a good output of pulses, too." Sinha said, "In the past few years, we have done extensive work in seed development, farming practices and mechanisation. Besides, our farmers have a better reach to quality seeds. We are implementing the System of Root Intensification on 300,000 ha and using hybrid paddy seeds on almost 450,000 ha. These steps will boost paddy production." Even though last month saw a deficit in the rain, August has been favorable, making up these losses. Sinha said, "Last month was tough for farmers in south Bihar. We are planning to distribute, free, seeds of maize and pulses in the badly affected areas, so that their livelihood can be protected."

The Tribune
New Delhi, 18 August 2011
Rains hit apple harvesting hard
Apple harvesting in the state of Himachal Pradesh has been hit due to a long spell of rain in the region. Apple growers were forced to defer plucking of the fruit because of incessant rain as a result of which the number of trucks leaving the state for various markets has declined sharply. On August 9, as many as 407 trucks carrying over 2 lakh standard boxes of apple left the state. The number was reduced to 364 on August 10, 334 on the following day and only 255 trucks with 1.12 lakh boxes on August 15. In fact, only about 150 trucks of apple were auctioned at the Azadpur market in Delhi, which opened after two days on Monday. Over 60 per cent of the produce is disposed of in the Asia's biggest agriculture market. The movement of vehicles was also affected by landslides caused by heavy rain, which blocked the link roads at several places.The road to Kharapathar was blocked near Praunthi and the traffic had been diverted through Shilghar. The road linking Chhajpur and Chikali in Jubbal has also been blocked.The Theog-Hatkoti road has been in much better shape than last year. However, the current spell of rain has caused extensive damage, particularly between the Koku Nullah and Jubbal. Only 26 tonne of fruit has been procured under the Market Intervention Scheme so far as compared to 28,000 tonne last year, when a record 1,11,000 tonne was purchased from growers during the entire season.

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