PADDY RICE FIELDS
July rains seen crucial as delayed monsoon worries farmers
Delayed monsoon raises concerns over kharif crop cultivation, with only 10% of soyabean area sown in Madhya Pradesh. Farmers in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh await rains for paddy. Pulses traders are worried about tur and urad crops amid intense heatwave conditions with below-normal monsoon predicted by IMD. Good rains are needed by early July for crops to thrive. Government estimates show mixed output for tur and urad in kharif 2023.
More than 50 lakh large farmland trees vanished between 2018 and 2022 in India: Study
A concerning trend in India shows over 50 lakh large farmland trees vanished from 2018 to 2022 due to altered cultivation practices, impacting agroforestry systems and promoting paddy rice fields. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, identified this worrying development in Nature Sustainability, confirmed by villagers in Telangana, Haryana, and Maharashtra.
In Vietnam, farmers reduce methane emissions by changing how they grow rice
Vietnam is the world's third-largest rice exporter, and the staple importance to Vietnamese culture is palpable in the Mekong Delta.
Crops, consumption and connectivity: the 3Cs at the core of India’s agricultural asymmetries
The country is the largest producer of many crops but it still has to resort to imports to meet domestic demand. Experts say we have to plug the gaps in the supply chain linking production and consumption centres to make the sector efficient and reduce import dependency.
Best rice in India- Here are the Top 10 picks just for you
In this article, we have brought the best of the best rice varieties, each one of them is a product of careful cultivation and aged perfection. These are some healthier options that do not compromise on taste and one of the best brands with an age old promise of quality.
Expected fall in rice output could clear way for prolonged export curbs by India
Production in India, the world's largest rice exporter, is under unusually intense focus after New Delhi banned exports of non-basmati white rice in July, sending global prices surging.
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Ploughing and sowing of paddy seeds starts in violence-hit Manipur
Amidst ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur, the ploughing and sowing of paddy seeds have started in vulnerable fields under tight security. Harvesting has also begun in some areas with adequate protection from security forces. The state government has reserved over 1900 state and Central security personnel to guard farmers in the paddy fields across five affected districts. While some farmers have expressed gratitude for the security, others have criticized the ineffective deployment of forces. Security personnel are also guarding farmers in other vulnerable areas close to Kuki-dominated regions.
What's the impact of an erratic monsoon on the fields? A ground report
Farmers in parts of the country have had to face an erratic southwest monsoon—excess rain in July followed by a record-dry August. ET travels to three states to gauge the impact on the fields.
Bayer, GenZero, and Shell India join hands to showcase scalability of methane emissions reduction in rice cultivation
Bayer, GenZero, and Shell Energy India are forming a partnership to create a scalable model for reducing methane emissions in rice cultivation. The programme will include MRV mechanisms, remote sensing technology and the International Rice Research Institute's assessment. Paddy rice cultivation is responsible for approximately 10% of global methane emissions, so the project aims to reduce emissions and improve soil health while benefiting smallholder rice farmers.
Why Indian farmers worry despite 'average' monsoon rains
While average monsoon rains are ordinarily good for Indian farmers, uneven distribution this year has created new worries. Vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum and spinach are also affected by erratic rainfall distribution. Standing crops in northern India have been damaged by floods, while southern planting has been delayed. As a result, prices of certain vegetables including tomatoes have hit record highs
Area under paddy down 35 per cent so far this kharif season; pulses, coarse cereals acreage up
Area under coverage for pulses is higher at 6.54 lakh hectares so far from 6.30 lakh hectares in the same period last year, the ministry said in a statement. Shri Anna-cum-Coarse Cereals acreage stood higher at 18.95 lakh hectares so far as against 13.38 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year.
Consumer staple companies stocking up as El Nino looms
Consumer staple companies in India, including LT Foods, GRM Overseas and Tirupati Agritrade, are increasing stock levels as a precautionary measure against this year's monsoon season, which is predicted to be poor, causing potential supply shortages and impacting prices. Meanwhile, forecasters at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have confirmed that El Nino, an ocean-warming event that depresses monsoon rainfall, has already begun.
Paddy sowing picking up in some areas: Agriculture Commissioner
Till last week, area under paddy was lower by 14.66 per cent at 5.32 lakh hectare as against 6.23 lakh hectare in the year-ago period, as per the Agriculture Ministry data.
Re-imagining rice, a crop that feeds the world
In China, a study showed that extreme rainfall had reduced rice yields over the past 20 years. India limited rice exports out of concern for having enough to feed its own people.
Africa struggling to reduce dependency on imported Indian rice
Many African countries depend on imports -- and the market has been roiled by restrictions imposed in September by India. In a bid to control domestic prices affected by a crippling drought, the leading global rice exporter banned exports of broken rice and slapped a 20 percent export tax on some non-basmati varieties.
IARI trying higher yield in short-duration rice varieties to stop stubble burning in Punjab
Stubble burning by farmers in Punjab and other parts significantly contributes to air pollution in north India during winters.
India rice export curbs to end a decade of price stability
Since India - the world's biggest rice exporter - banned exports of broken rice and slapped a 20% export tax on some non-basmati varieties, global rice prices have jumped more than 10%. Last month, the Food and Agriculture Organization's global rice price index rose 2.2% to hit an 18-month high.
Bihar, West Bengal issue advisory on water usage for kharif crops
The West Bengal government has stepped up irrigation to paddy fields, and is restoring the irrigation installations that have become non-functional and bringing farmers under crop insurance to ensure compensation to them if there is a crop failure. Pradip Kumar Majumdar, Bengal's panchayats and rural development minister, said it had asked farmers to use minimum water so that it was not wasted.
Wheat, rice and corn feed the world. It is also causing a food crisis
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, of the 4% of the 250,000 to 300,000 known edible plant species, only 150-200 are used by humans. Just three — rice, maize and wheat — contribute nearly 60% of the calories and proteins obtained by humans from plants. This leads to severe food security issues.
Punjab targets 12 lakh hectares of paddy area with DSR technique
Under the DSR technique, paddy seeds are drilled into the field with the help of a machine that does seeding of rice and spray of herbicide simultaneously. While in the traditional method, young paddy plants are raised by farmers in nurseries first and then these plants are uprooted and transplanted in a puddled field.
Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao leads protest in Delhi; gives 24-hourr deadline to Centre for paddy procurement
Staging a dharna along with his TRS party leaders at Telangana Bhawan in New Delhi, K Chandrashekar Rao warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "Don't play with the sentiments of our farmers, they have power to topple the government." Farmers are not beggars, they have the right to seek minimum support price (MSP) for their produce, he said.
Assam government to organize special gaon sabha on January 16
The Chief Minister said that due to lack of proper procurement mechanism and committed efforts, majority of the paddy produced in the state is procured by middlemen depriving the farmers of fair price. The State government has therefore, decided to bring an end to such a situation so that farmers could be economically benefitted.
BJP MLA on maun vrat over delay in procurement of paddy
Speaking to ET, Giri said there were more than 150 procurement centres in the district and 26 in his constituency, but not one of them had started procurement. "It is due to the collusion of officials with the owners of rice mills that the centres have not been activated," Giri said.
Rs 10,000 subsidy for Chhattisgarh farmers to grow crops other than paddy
The Chhattisgarh CM has decided to expand the scope of Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana and to cover all the major Kharif crops like maize, soyabean, sugarcane, kodo-kutki, pulses along with paddy under it from the next season, the public relations department official said.
Labour shortage spooks rice farmers, potato traders in West Bengal
Similarly, the potato trade in Gangetic West Bengal is also worried about the availability of labour from the first week of May to unload potatoes from the cold storages to help meet the requirement of the domestic markets until the arrival of the next season's crop in December.
Politics of stubble burning: Solving the problem requires us to rethink paddy farming and irrational subsidies
It’s time to address the stubble burning problem not with more government sops to paddy, but by encouraging farmers in Punjab and Haryana to shift to different crops such as orchards and horticulture which are also high value crops of short and long duration.
Back to the paddy fields, coronavirus smashes Indian middle-class dreams
In the COVID-19 pandemic, India's economy is forecast to shrink by 4.5% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. At least 400 million Indian workers are at risk of falling deeper into poverty, according to the International Labour Organization.
In China, farmers create an art in rice paddy fields
The aerial view of an image of actor Rowan Atkinson as character Mr. Bean created using different varieties of rice in a paddy in China.
Falling groundwater levels driving farmers in Punjab to move away from paddy
To produce a kilogramme of rice, 2,500-5,500 litres of water is needed, as per the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
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