04-November-2022: Natural Farming, Basmati export, Kerala, SLCM NBFC, Sustainable Cotton Bio-farming, African Baobab

4 November 2022

• Agriculture Minister Launches Portal on Natural Farming

  Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar presided over the first meeting of the National Natural Farming Mission's steering committee today at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi. Natural Farming is based on on-farm biomass recycling, with a particular emphasis on biomass mulching, the use of on-farm cow dung-urine formulations, periodic soil aeration, and the avoidance of all synthetic chemical inputs. Tomar launched the NMNF portal during the meeting. He stated that the country's mission of natural farming would be carried out with everyone's help.

• Basmati Paddy Farmers Earn 24 percent Higher Returns as Exports Increase by 11 percent

  Basmati exporters are optimistic about overseas demand and have purchased paddy at prices that are 12-24% higher than a year ago, boosted by an increase of 11% in exports of the fragrant rice during the first half of the current fiscal. The buying frenzy that has led to the price increase has been observed at agricultural produce marketing committee (APMC) yards, despite the crop arriving 20% earlier last month.Arrivals of basmati paddy at APMC yards in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, which account for 97 percent of the country's basmati production, increased by 20.3% to 13.51 lakh tonnes (lt) in October from 11.23 lakh tonnes (lt) the previous year, according to Agmarknet, an Agriculture Ministry unit. 

• Kerala Finalises Deal with AP to Procure Premium Quality Parboiled Rice

  Kerala has reached an agreement with Andhra Pradesh to source parboiled rice and five other essential food items at reasonable prices. As part of this, the Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Corporation will purchase 3,840 tonnes of premium quality "Jaya" rice directly from farmers each month at the MSP and transport it by train to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kannur. This was decided at a meeting earlier this week in Thiruvananthapuram between Andhra Pradesh Food Minister KP Nageswara Rao and his counterpart GR Anil. 

• SLCM NBFC arm Kissandhan Disburses Rs. 25 Billion Agri Loans

  "Throughout our journey, we have always sensed the lack of and need for women in agriculture. Kissandhan wants to improve the standard of living for small-scale farmers and their families. Our next step in the procedure is to discuss the loan benefits for women. We are pleased and proud that 9,600 women have benefited from our program's loans, and we hope to double that number in the upcoming year,” stated Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO of SLCM Group. “The information at hand indicates that women in agriculture in India do not have easy access to credit to build stability.

• Sustainable Cotton Bio-farming, New Technology Platform by Zydex Industries

  We are a research-based organization dedicated to "Conserving limiting resources through Innovation, for a sustainable future," says Dr. Ajay Ranka, founder, and CMD who has various patents registered in 55 nations worldwide, and also served as a member of the Technology Development Board of the Indian government. Under his direction, Zydex has expanded to become a major international player in technological innovation in the fields of textiles, roads, waterproofing & paints, and agriculture, with a staff of more than 800 people.

• African Baobab “Tree of Life”: Medicinal Benefits, Propagation, Crop Care, and Much More

  India has long been familiar with the baobab. Their entrance and dispersion into our nation from tropical Africa are attributed to Muslim traders. The baobab, an African native, is one of nature's most beautiful trees. African Baobab, botanically known as Adansonia digitata belongs to Malvaceae. The tree only reaches a height of 70 feet, but its huge, bottle-shaped trunk is up to 35 feet in circumference. In reality, during dry seasons, water is kept in the trunk. People used to construct homes out of the hollow trunks of live trees.