Traditional crop culture scheme unveiled
This will cover areas near biodiversity hotspots and ecologically sensitive regions for a period of five years from 2025-26. Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment department launched the scheme - Revival and Sustainable Intensification of Forgotten Food & Neglected Crops in Odisha - on Wednesday.
The initiative will also help generate additional financial support for the cultivators, especially those belonging to the tribal community. The scheme has been developed under the guidance of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and has been formally approved by the government.
The expected outcomes of the scheme include 'documenting numerous landraces and recipes, increasing their availability, conducting nutritional profiling, developing an open digital knowledge platform and positioning Odisha as a global model for reviving forgotten food & neglected crops', said Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment department.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
a day ago
- First Post
India-US BTA talks: High-level team in America; firm on agri, dairy sectors: Report
A high-level team from India's Commerce Ministry is in Washington this week to continue talks on a bilateral trade agreement with the United States. The discussions aim to bridge differences in key areas like agriculture and automobiles. read more A high-level team from India's Commerce and Industry Ministry has arrived in Washington to secure a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the United States as tariff threats from Trump admin looms with a fresh deadline, news agency ANI reported. The four-day talks are set to begin Monday morning (US time). India's chief negotiator, Rajesh Agrawal, who serves as special secretary in the Commerce Department, will join the discussions on Wednesday, while other officials are already there to set the initial agenda and discuss procedural issues. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD These talks are crucial because both sides need to resolve differences in key sectors like agriculture and automobiles. Meanwhile, the US has postponed imposing additional tariffs on several countries, including India, until August 1. When asked whether an interim deal might be reached before August 1, an official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, 'We're working towards a BTA. How it progresses—whether in phases—will be decided mutually. We're aiming for a deal that benefits both sides.' Earlier, the Indian delegation was in Washington from June 26 to July 2 for negotiations. India stands firm on agriculture and dairy tariffs Reports indicate India is taking a tough stance against US demands for lower tariffs on agricultural and dairy products. So far, India has not offered duty cuts in the dairy sector in any of its free trade agreements. India is also pushing for the reduction of US tariffs on steel and aluminium (currently around 50%) and automobiles (25%). Under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, India reserves the right to impose retaliatory duties if needed. Trump's tariff letters Earlier, President Donald Trump announced steep tariffs on several countries, including India. However, these tariffs were postponed first to July 9, and then again to August 1. The Trump administration has sent tariff warning letters to multiple trading partners, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Serbia, and Tunisia. The US is seeking tariff reductions from India on various products, including industrial goods, automobiles, wines, petrochemicals, and agricultural products such as dairy, apples, tree nuts, and genetically modified crops. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India looking for incentives Meanwhile, India is looking for concessions for its labour-intensive sectors like textiles, gems and jewellery, leather goods, garments, plastics, chemicals, shrimp, oil seeds, grapes, and bananas. Both countries hope to conclude talks for the first phase of the proposed BTA by September or October, although they are exploring the possibility of an interim deal before then. India's merchandise exports to the US rose 21.78% to $17.25 billion during April-May of this fiscal year, while imports from the US grew 25.8%.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- India Gazette
"Youth are getting employment through a transparent process": Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday distributed appointment letters to selected candidates for government jobs at the Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Mela held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Through this employment drive, more than 51,000 candidates across the country received appointment letters for government jobs. On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the event virtually. According to a release from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, addressing the gathering, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, 'Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision is a blessing for India. Under his leadership, we are on a grand mission to build a 'Viksit Bharat'. There's tremendous work happening across all sectors. In terms of employment, Prime Minister Modi's current tenure is a golden era, as over 25 crore people have risen above the poverty line. He has uprooted poverty from its roots.' He further added, 'Whether it is direct or indirect employment, speaking of direct government jobs, more than 10 lakh youth have already been provided with employment by receiving appointment letters. Today, over 51,200 youth have been inducted into various departments, including the Railways, through a fully transparent process, and solely based on merit.' Concluding his address, Chouhan said, 'Heartfelt congratulations to all these young people. This employment is not just for their personal growth, they will now contribute as partners in the mission of building a 'Viksit Bharat'. My sincere thanks to the Prime Minister for his visionary leadership and commitment.' Earlier on Saturday, noting that the world is realising India's two immense powers of demography and democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that youths are both capital and guarantee for the country's bright future and Centre is continuously working to turn this into a 'source of prosperity.' Addressing the appointees at the 16th edition of Rozgar Mela, Prime Minister Modi said, 'Today, the world accepts that India has two immense powers - demography and democracy, that is, the largest youth population and the largest democracy. This strength of the youth is both the capital and the guarantee of a bright future for our India. Our government is working to convert this capital into a formula for prosperity.' Highlighting the outcomes from his recent visit to five nations, PM Modi said that the agreements signed bilaterally with these countries will give a major boost to the manufacturing and service sectors of the country, which will ultimately benefit the youth of the country. 'Two days ago, I returned after travelling to five countries. The echo of India's youth power was heard in every country. During this period, all the agreements that were made will benefit India's youth. India will benefit significantly in the coming days from the agreements made in various sectors, including defence, pharma, digital technology, energy, and rare earth minerals. India's manufacturing and service sectors will get a huge boost,' he said. Emphasising the changing landscape of jobs, the Prime Minister said that the Centre's policies have been reformed to meet the modern needs. The new recruits, selected from across the country, will be joining the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Posts, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Department of Financial Services, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, among other departments and ministries. The 16th edition of the employment drive is being conducted at 47 locations across India. The recruitments are taking place across Central Government Ministries and Departments. Rozgar Mela is a step towards fulfilling the Prime Minister's commitment to accord the highest priority to employment generation. It will play a significant role in providing meaningful opportunities for the youth to empower themselves and participate in nation-building. So far, more than 10 lakh appointment letters have been issued under the Rozgar Mela initiative across the country. (ANI)
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
China is using fertiliser as a weapon. And Modi government has shown little urgency to help farmers
I was in Bihar last week. A young farmer named Raju Singh greeted me with folded hands. But his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. 'Sir, bijli kabhi hai, kabhi nahi. Ab DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) bhi gaya. Ab boliye, kya ugaayein? Kyu ugaayein?' (The power supply is erratic. Now even DAP supplies have stopped. What do we grow now?) The question, 'Why even farm?' should give nightmares to policymakers in Delhi. When farmers stop wondering what to grow and start asking why, we are not facing an agricultural crisis. We are staring at an abyss of depleting national morale. Raju isn't alone. Across Bihar — in Siwan, Samastipur, Darbhanga — I heard versions of the same story. Farmers queuing up for fertiliser and being told to 'wait', while private agents jack up prices under the counter. Some bought DAP at Rs 1,750 a bag — Rs 400 above the notified price — according to local mandi reports. Others simply gave up. Fertiliser stock levels in India are nearly half of what they were at the same time last year. With such limited availability, prices are skyrocketing. The decline is largely due to China's informal ban on fertiliser exports to India. Despite the absence of a formal notification from their government, customs authorities and port officials in China have stopped clearing fertiliser shipments destined for India. India is the largest importer of DAP in the world, the second-most used fertiliser in the country after urea. China has historically been the top exporter of DAP to India. Eighty per cent of India's speciality fertilisers — crucial for high-value horticultural crops like fruits and vegetables — also come from China. As the kharif sowing season (June–July) is underway, the shortage of DAP and speciality fertilisers is back-breaking for Indian farmers. The government has shown no urgency. It has repeatedly raised slogans of Atmanirbhar Bharat. But this spirit of self-reliance is hardly reflected in primary sectors like agriculture. We are told to blame global forces for the disruptions, but this isn't a global halt. This ban is exclusive to India. Why the ban? China has a tendency to weaponise trade to solve territorial disputes. In 2010, a collision between a Chinese fishing boat and Japanese coast guard vessels near the disputed Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu Islands in China) led to the detention of the Chinese captain by Japan. In response, China halted rare earth exports to Japan, although this was not officially announced. India, of course, has its own unresolved territorial dispute with China. This is China's way of arm-twisting India into submission. The Narendra Modi government is yet to call out China. At the time of the dispute, Japan, too, was heavily reliant on China for its rare earth supplies. It took the matter to the WTO, and in 2014, it ruled against China to stabilise rare earth matter generated ripples across the world as many countries re-evaluated their reliance on China. Japan, for example, initiated efforts to diversify its supply chain of rare earth reserves. Consequently, its dependence on China for rare earth reserves has gone down by at least 30 per cent. Having witnessed China leverage its rare earth dominance with Japan, the Modi government should have moved on a war footing to reduce India's dependence on China from the day it assumed office in 2014. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) urged the government to establish an India Rare Earth Mission. This suggestion first fell on deaf ears. It is only during the past couple of months that the Centre has sprung into action on this matter — albeit too little and too late. It is too late because India is already a victim of China's informal ban on the export of rare earth reserves. It is too little because this last-minute diversification of supply chains and the endeavour to boost domestic production of rare earth reserves are welcome, but not enough. As for fertilisers, the bulk of India's existing DAP production capacity was established under successive Congress governments. The BJP, on the other hand, during the past 11 years, has only shown interest in producing polarising propaganda. The Modi government now finds itself facing a rather unconventional form of warfare. China is not directly challenging India on a battlefield or in diplomatic forums. Instead, it has launched a covert assault on farms, infrastructure projects and our manufacturing sector. The truth is, we are losing ground. Today, the ban on the export of rare earth magnets is slowly suffocating our manufacturing sector — especially defence, EVs, and electronics. Exploration and diversification of the supply chain are being taken up only now, when the damage is already done. Chinese firms have refused to supply spare parts for tunnel boring machines used in critical infrastructure projects in India, citing vague procedural hurdles. China is throttling our agriculture during the peak season. All we have received in the name of policy over the past 11 years are rebranded schemes and repackaged slogans. In the last three months alone, over 750 farmers have died by suicide in Maharashtra. The scarcity of fertilisers will spike fruit and vegetable prices, fuel food inflation across rural India and hurt the urban middle class. States like Bihar that are already net importers of several nutrient-rich crops will bear the brunt. Let's be clear: This isn't the doing of foreign forces. It's a failure of Indian hands: Those in charge who promised atmanirbharta and delivered dependence, those who promised vision and delivered a vacuum. Across the country, farmers, workers, and families are fast seeing through the BJP's propaganda. The day isn't far when they'll return the favour of indifference to the BJP — with a quiet, decisive and stinging lesson in democracy. The writer is chairman, media and publicity department, AICC
