20-November-2022: Saffron Cultivation, Fateh Diwas, Stubble Burning, Aeroponic Farming, PM-Kisan, COP 27

20 November 2022

• Saffron Production on the Rise in Kashmir

  Farmers growing saffron in Kashmir are now joyful as saffron production in Kashmir has increased for the first time in the last eight years. Saffron producers in Kashmir have not experienced a good saffron harvest since floods devastated the majority of Kashmir in 2014.Though many farmers were hopeful that someday these will give good returns, the losses didn’t push them to switch to other fruits farming. For the first time in the last seven to eight years, this year in the initial months, the saffron yields have grown and some data shows that it has grown by approx. 48%. 

• Farmers Celebrate Fateh Diwas to Mark Repeal of Farm Laws

  On Monday, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha decided to mark November 19 as "Fateh Diwas," the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the repeal of the three problematic agri laws, and December 11 as "Vijay Diwas," the day the farmers began to return home from the Delhi Morcha.The decisions were made at an SKM meeting held in New Delhi's Gurdwara Rakabganj. Dr. Darshan Pal, a member of the SKM coordination group, provided specifics, stating that PM Modi had announced the repeal of the farm laws on November 19 of the previous year. 

• Are Long-Duration Paddy Varieties Behind High Number of Farm Fire Cases in Punjab? Know Here

  The ever-rising instances of stubble burning year after year, causing major high pollution levels in the national capital and other northern regions of the country, could be majorly driven by farmers’ efforts to increase production by sowing longer-duration types of paddies.According to Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), the state sows 64 different paddy varieties, out of which 46 are unrecommended, and mostly all are longer-lasting cultivars. This year, farmers in Punjab had planted paddy on 64 lakh acres, excluding Basmati. About 24.40 lakh acres of this total, or 38 percent, were planted with not advised and longer duration crops. 

• Aeroponic Farming: Growing Potatoes in Thin Air Can Raise Your Profits to 20 Percent

  Potato farming takes place on a vast scale in India, though most localities still cultivate it the traditional way. Additionally, the crop often gets destroyed by unseasoned rains or drought. To help farmers out of all of these predicaments, experts have now been focusing on a new method of potato production. Farmers will now be able to grow potatoes in thin air, plus this will be less time-consuming and will manifold their profits by up to 20 percent. New changes are taking place in the agricultural world every day with modern techniques being used for better production. Owing to these techniques, farming is no longer dependent on soil, but excellent crop production is now possible in both, air and water.

• PM-Kisan Payout Decreased By 67 Percent in Three Years: RTI Answers

  According to the Agriculture Ministry's response to an RTI request from activist Kanhaiya Kumar, the number of farmers who received the 11th instalment of funding from the Prime Minister's Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) has decreased by 67 percent. The Central program PM-KISAN was introduced in 2019 and offers eligible farming families Rs 6,000 per year in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each. As per the ministry's instalment-wise payment success report, only 3.87 crore farmers really received the 11th instalment of 2,000 in their accounts in May and June of 2022. This is a big decline from the 11.84 crore farmers who received the first instalment in February 2019, shortly before the Lok Sabha elections. The most recent 12th instalment was paid in October this year.

• COP 27: India Blames Rich Nations for Climate Crisis & Blocking Pro-Farmer Decisions; Opposes Draft Text on Agriculture

  At COP 27-Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, India claims that developed countries are impeding a pro-poor and pro-farmer decision by insisting on broadening the mitigation scope to agriculture. At the ongoing United Nations climate summit in Egypt, India has spoken out against the developed world's efforts to broaden the scope of mitigation to agriculture, claiming that rich countries are unable to reduce their emissions domestically through any worthwhile change in their lifestyles. Instead, they are looking for cheaper solutions in other countries," as per sources.