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Time of India
18-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Fertilizers available, but ryots struggle amid staff apathy
Visakhapatnam: Although fertilizers are available in adequate quantities at the district level for this Kharif season, farmers are struggling to obtain them. Staff at Rythu Seva Kendras and other distribution centres have shown a lack of urgency, forcing many farmers to turn to private dealers — where they are compelled to buy fertilizers at steeply inflated prices. Even after the govt instructed the administrations in the district to provide fertilizers, the fertilizers are not within the reach of the farmers due to negligence in distributing them by the staff at the district level. There are allegations over the Rythu Seva Kendras. The district authorities are now supplying the fertilizers that have reached the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies from MarkFed. Sources say that the stocks at Rythu Seva Kendras have remained the same for the past few months. "The usage of Urea is high presently, and we have been searching for the stocks. There are no stocks at private dealers. Even if they have quantities, they have been enhancing the prices and cashing in on the situation," a farmer in Vizianagaram district, K Rama Rao, said. The higher officials in the agricultural department estimated the required quantity of Urea and other fertilizers and sent around 90% of the estimated quantities. The majority of Urea stocks are in Rythu Seva Kendras, sources said. They further added that the transfers of village agricultural assistants over the past month have been creating problems for the farmers, as VAAs are not distributing fertilizers and are also not inclined to hand over the stock details or register them. The authorities are attributing the delay in Urea distribution to the transfers of Village Agricultural Assistants. The Agricultural Department higher officials say that this will be resolved in seven to ten days. The district agricultural officers advised the farmers to bring any issues in fertilizer supply to their notice. The govt has sent sufficient quantities of fertilizers to districts. "When we ask about DAP, Potash, Super Phosphate, Complex fertilizers, and others, Agricultural Department officials say that those fertilizers are available. But, the local staff have been saying that technical issues have been creating problems," another farmer, Appala Naidu, said.
The Hindu
23-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
From The Hindu, June 24, 1925: Teaching of agriculture in Bengal
Special Committee's Report (Associated Press of India) CALCUTTA, June 23. A scheme for the teaching of agriculture in Bengal has been submitted by a special committee, consisting of Mr. H. E. Stapleton, officiating Principal of the Presidency College, Mr. K. Maclean, officiating Fibre Expert, and Rai Manmathananth Rai Bahadur of Burdwan. The Committee suggests the teaching of agriculture for a period of four years in the fifth and sixth classes of the Middle English Schools and in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth classes in the High English Schools. Until the experiment is proved to be successful, the number of schools opening agricultural classes should be supervised by the Agricultural Department so far as agriculture is concerned.
Hans India
03-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
J&K: Over 50 women imparted training in mushroom production under HADP scheme
Jammu: In a bid to cultivate Jammu and Kashmir's Doda as a key centre of mushroom cultivation, the Agricultural Department is imparting training to more than 50 women under the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP). The Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) is a flagship initiative of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir, designed to revolutionise the agricultural sector through innovation and inclusivity. All these women undergoing training are associated with the Jammu Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission. Its purpose is to enable and equip women with mushroom production skills and also make them self-reliant in the business. A couple of beneficiaries spoke to IANS, sharing their experience about the initiative. Priyanka Chib, a local resident of Doda, said, 'For the first time, training is being given by the Agriculture Department of Doda. Through this channel, we are getting a lot of information that will benefit us in the business. Particularly, the women who are getting the training will start a mushroom enterprise on their own and will start earning income from it.' Susheel Razdan, an official associated with the training program, said that under the HDDP scheme, we are training all these women, and the department is also providing a subsidy to those who want to open their mushroom setup in Doda. Many big mushroom units are being run by people, and now women are also taking up the initiative. Chief Agriculture Officer Doda Amjad Hussain Malik said, 'There are many schemes in the Agriculture Department which are benefiting people. Today we have given training to unemployed women here so that in the future they can also start their own business and earn money from these schemes.' The HADP scheme spans 29 projects covering agriculture, horticulture, livestock, and research & development, aiming to enhance productivity, empower farmers, and boost the region's economy. The program aims to transform the agricultural economy of Jammu and Kashmir by promoting sustainability and commercial viability through 75 schemes.
Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Gujarat's mango produce loss estimated at up to 35% due to unseasonal rain
The sudden change in the weather condition in the state has taken a toll on mango crop, which was ready for harvesting in the farms of South Gujarat and Saurashtra. Horticulturists are estimating up to 35 per cent damage of crop, in the Alphonso and Kesar varieties, grown in these regions. In the middle of peak summer, the state witnessed sudden thunderstorm accompanied by high-speed winds and rain on Monday and Tuesday, causing pre-ripened fruit to fall from trees, leading to significant losses for mango farmers. State Horticulture Department teams, in co-ordination with Agricultural Department officials, began a survey on Wednesday to assess the losses incurred by farmers due to this natural calamity. Sources in the Horticulture Department told this paper that around 30 to 35 percent of the crops may have been damaged due to the weather conditions in South Gujarat. In South Gujarat, mangoes are typically cultivated in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and some parts of Bharuch, while in Saurashtra, they are grown in Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Amreli, while the Kesar from Kutch is among the last to be harvested. According to information from the State Horticulture Department, mango farming spans approximately one lakh hectares of land in South Gujarat and around 42000 hectares in Saurashtra. Last year, the yield of mangoes in South Gujarat ranged from 4 to 4.25 tons per hectare, whereas in Saurashtra, it was approximately over 5 percent tons per hectare, according to sources in the State Horticulture Department. Due to the sudden change in climate witnessed on Monday and Tuesday, several areas in South Gujarat — Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi, Dangs, and some parts of Saurashtra —experienced high-speed winds accompanied by light showers. Mango growers in Saurashtra have started plucking the fruit to prevent further damage, say sources. From Wednesday, Agriculture Department officials, along with gram sevaks at village levels, began conducting a survey in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and Bharuch to assess the losses incurred by mango growers due to the weather that will take around five days, said officials. Joint director in the Surat range Horticulture Department in South Gujarat, Dinesh Paladiya, told The Indian Express, 'In South Gujarat, mango is grown on close to one lakh hectares of land, which includes over 36,000 hectares in Valsad, 33,000 hectares in Navsari, 15,000 hectares in Surat, and the remaining areas in Bharuch district. The major variety is Kesar, which accounts for around 60 per cent; Alphonso is grown over 30 percent, with Daseri, Langdo, Rajapuri, Totapuri, etc. making up the rest. Alphonso is primarily cultivated in Valsad. There are over 70,000 farmers in South Gujarat who cultivate mango, and from here, Alphonso and other varieties of mangoes are exported to Western countries.' 'On Monday and Tuesday, due to the high-speed winds and light showers, the ready-to-harvest crop was damaged. The assessment of the loss will be known by the survey. Mangoes had started coming into the market. In some areas, the harvesting will be done in the middle of May. This year, the production is to be ascertained, but the damage may have caused losses between 30 and 35 per cent to the farmers.' Research scientist Bhupendra Tandel at Aspee College of Horticulture said, 'Through the farmers in Navsari, we have come to know that this time male flowers have appeared in larger numbers than female flowers in mango orchards. Veteran mango growers can tell the difference while we carry out awareness programmes for amateur farmers. No fruit grows from male (flowers).' He further said: 'We also grow mango in the farms of our education institution, and due to the high speed of winds on Tuesday, over 50 per cent ready-to-harvest mangoes fell from a height and got damaged. Mango traders easily identify fallen fruits, and they don't buy them. Such fruit is used for making mango pulps by different factories in Surat, Navsari, and Valsad.' Tandel also said, 'The mango fruit is sensitive to climate conditions. If the day temperature is higher than 34 degrees and it is up to 13 degrees in night, male flowers grow more than female in number.' Talking to The Indian Express, Joint Director of Horticulture Department, Rajkot range in Saurashtra, R H Ladani said, 'After receiving forecasts of light showers and strong winds, we alerted mango growers in Saurashtra, who began harvesting early. About 80 per cent of mango is cultivated is Kesar and the rest are other varieties. We will also begin a crop damage survey soon.' Dashrat Desai, a 60-year-old mango farmer from Valsad, said, 'May marks the beginning of the mango harvesting season. I've been farming mangoes for 30 years, and this year's unseasonal weather, with strong winds, caused over 40 per cent of the fruit to fall before harvesting. I grow Alphonso and Kesar on 70 acres, with about 4,000 trees. I had invested heavily expecting a good yield. Now, those fallen mangoes are useless. Even pulp factories have slashed their rates from Rs 1,600 per ton to Rs 350-400 per ton.'
Express Tribune
08-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Punjab incentivises early cotton sowing
Listen to article Under the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, a special package of Rs25,000 is being provided for cultivating cotton over five acres early in the season. Farmers are showing great interest in early planting of the crop, which has decreased significantly in season 2024-25. These views were expressed by Punjab Agricultural Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo while presiding over a review meeting on early cotton sowing at the Agriculture House, Lahore. He stated that the current weather was highly suitable for cotton sowing and a target of one million acres had been set for early cultivation in Punjab. "To achieve this target, all possible resources and means are being utilised under the Agricultural Department, Punjab." The secretary gave directives for accelerating activities to guide farmers on meeting the early cultivation goal. He emphasised that monitoring was ongoing to ensure the availability of seeds, fertilisers and other agricultural inputs in the market. He stated that only Triple Gene varieties should be recommended for early sowing, which would be a milestone in achieving the cotton production target. The meeting was attended by Special Agricultural Secretary Agha Nabeel Akhtar, Additional Agricultural Secretary Task Force Punjab Muhammad Shabbir Ahmed Khan, Agricultural Director Generals Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, Naveed Asmat Kahloon and Dr Abdul Qayyum, Project Director Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali and other officials.
