TURKISH AGRI.NEWS

A severe shortage of labour, triggered by India's 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, will disrupt harvesting of winter crops in the world's second largest producer of staple food grains, such as wheat. The northern bread basket states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh rely on farm labourers from eastern India, but after the lockdown began on March 24, most of them returned home to their villages. "We've never seen anything like this," said Ramandeep Singh Mann, a farmer from Punjab, whose family grows wheat, rice and cotton on more than 45 acres (18 hectares) and would employ about 10 workers if they used mechanical harvesters. "We've no-one at all for harvests" Mann is just one of thousands of farmers concerned he will be unable to get mechanical harvesters to fields or even manage to gather by hand crops likely to be ripe in mid-April. Late harvests mean lower yields, reduced returns, and a smaller window to p...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that agriculture has a key role to play in helping the country achieve its goal of becoming five trillion dollar economy and the government was focusing on formulating a cash crop and export-centric farming system. Addressing a gathering here after distributing Krishi Karman Awards, Modi said that the effort of Central government has led to an increase in the production and export of spices in the country. "The agriculture sector has a very important role to play in making India a five trillion dollar economy. For this, our government is focusing on formulating a cash crop and export centric farming system," he said. Modi said that production of spices has crossed 25 lakh tonne and their export has risen from Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 19,000 crore. He said the government was not only solving problems of farmers but also working towards a better future for them. "We have made arrangements so that farmers can sell their prod...

The Government envisioning to up the size of the nations macro-economy to USD 5 trillion by 2024 treats agriculture sector as integral to this strategy, and the fulcrum of such a transformation. Specifically with regards to the country’s agricultural economy, the Government’s aim of improving the welfare of the farmers predicated upon doubling farmers’ income by 2022 is moving in the right direction, in synch with the principle of harmonizing the interests of the different stakeholders. The particular demands of the consumers for wholesome nutrition and of the ecology shall be continued to be optimally blended, as the nation moves towards achieving higher incomes and sustainability from the agricultural enterprise. India along with others on the planet has been facing the adverse impacts of climate change, particularly with reference to deviations in rainfall and temperature. Notwithstanding this, the production growth of various agricultural commodities indicates increasing resili...