Shivraj Singh Chouhan launches PRAGATI initiative to create 20,000 agri entrepreneurs
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has launched ‘PRAGATI’ initiative to create a nationwide ecosystem of 20,000 agri entrepreneurs. ‘PRAGATI’ is a multi stakeholder initiative focused on advancing regenerative agriculture through inclusive agri entrepreneurship, to drive sustainable rural transformation across India. PepsiCo Foundation, State Bank of India […]
Agri-Next to support 150 start-ups for technology driven innovations
In a major initiative to accelerate technology-led transformation in agriculture, the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has launched Agri-Next, a ₹38-crore programme to support 150 agritech startups under the World Bank-assisted Kerala Climate Resilient Agri-Value Chain Modernisation (KERA) Project being implemented by the Department of Agriculture. The initiative aims to bridge the gap between innovation and […]
Monsoon Update: Heavy rainfall alert for hills of West Bengal, Sikkim
The immense circulation of West Pacific Typhoon Bavi is beginning to leave its imprint thousands of kilometres away over the Indian subcontinent, temporarily diverting the monsoon flows as the two tropical weather systems compete for moisture drawn from the same warm oceanic reservoir. Although Bavi has weakened a notch to a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, it remains […]
India’s 163.65 LT fertilizer stock, rising production to help meet Kharif demand, says govt
Against the Kharif season’s fertilisers demand of 383.9 lakh tonnes (lt) during April-September period, India has 163.65 lt of stock as of July 2, which is 43 per cent of the requirement. The government is confident of meeting the demand for July-September period due to continuous higher domestic production. As on July 2, urea stocks […]
Centre releases ₹25,863 crore first instalment under VB-G RAM G Yojana
Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday released the first instalment of the ‘Mother Sanction,’ amounting to ₹25,863 crore, to all states across the country under the Viksit Bharat G-RAM-G Yojana. The Minister released the funds through video conferencing from Bhopal at 10 AM. Speaking on the occasion, Chouhan expressed […]
Lessons from the green revolution: Let’s not repeat the mistakes with the bio revolution
India’s Green Revolution remains one of the defining achievements of modern agriculture. In the span of a few decades, the country transformed itself from a food-deficit nation dependent on imports into one of the world’s largest producers of food grains. High-yielding crop varieties, expanded irrigation networks and the widespread adoption of chemical fertilisers played a […]
Govt to sell rice for ethanol at ₹2320/qtl, wheat to millers at ₹2585-2600/qtl
The Centre has announced its policy on sale of rice, wheat from the official reserves for 2026-27 without earmarking the quantity it intends to offer, which is seen as a cautious move amid the threat of a super El Nino on India’s foodgrain production. However, rice allocation for State governments and their agencies has been fixed at 48 […]
ICRISAT develops two high-oleic groundnut varieties
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has developed two high-oleic groundnut varieties which offer longer shelf life and nutritional value. The new varieties will benefit groundnut farmers in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, and the North Eastern States. Combining higher yields with premium oil quality, the new varieties are expected to improve farm […]
Super El Nino threat unseen since 1950 shaping up, says Australian Met body
A potential super El Nino is rapidly taking shape, with the tropical Pacific is warming well beyond El Nino thresholds and atmospheric conditions are reinforcing the event, says the Southern Hemisphere Monitoring Report of the Bureau of Meteorology Australia (BoM). Meteorologists say it may become one of the most powerful El Niño events since 1950, […]
Monsoon: June ends with 40% deficit rainfall, all eyes on July
Monsoon rainfall in June was 99.5 mm against its long period average of 165.3 mm, registering a fall of 39.8 per cent from normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. As all the four meteorological subdivisions have registered deficient monsoon between 27 per cent and 50 per cent in the first month, all eyes are […]