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Supply Chain, Sustainable Energy, Webinar

Discussions were held on the need for sustainability and transparency in the cotton industry

Cotton Council International (CCI), along with the leadership of the US cotton industry, recently held the second virtual Cotton Day India. This year’s Cotton Day India once again focussed on the need for sustainability and transparency in the industry and how companies could use it to create and drive value for all stakeholders.

The virtual event featured speakers and panellists from USDA FAS US Embassy New Delhi, the US cotton industry and allied companies that support the industry with traceability solutions.

Speaking at the event, Bruce Atherley, Executive Director CCI said, “Brands today are increasingly becoming more responsible in their sourcing strategies. Sustainability and transparency are no longer optional. Leading brands today are mapping their supply chains back to spinning mills and are looking for supply chain partners they can trust; it’s not just about cost.”

Cotton Day India 2021 featured insightful sessions on what the industry can do as a whole to increase sustainability as well as what brands and retailers are looking for from the industry. It also featured discussions on what can be done to enhance sustainability and transparency in the textile supply chains that will enable brands and retailers to make more informed choices.

Joe Little, Head of Technical: Fabric, Colour, Sustainability & Garment Technology, Tesco PLC, presented a brand/retailer perspective of the US Cotton Trust Protocol, while Andrew Winston, Business Consultant & Founder of Winston Eco-Strategies spoke of how smart companies are using sustainability to create value. The key industry partners of Cotton Day India 2021 also included participation from Oritain and Textile Genesis with a focus on transparency solutions.
 

Discussions were held on the need for

Agrotech, Interaction, Start ups

Samhitha Crop Care Clinics, a precision farming advisory startup has introduced tree audits through the newly launched Citrus App for increasing the yield of citrus orchards. Earlier this year, a pilot project with the help of the Telangana Government increased 30 per cent yield for citrus farmers. The app will make monitoring more easy and effective tree audits. Farmers can identify the problems as well as forecast the general health of the trees for better yield management. Jagan Chitiprolu, CMD, Samhita Crop Care Clinics shares his views on precision farming in India with AgroSpectrum

What is the concept of Digital Tree Health Audit System (DTHAS) by Samhitha Crop Care Clinics? How will it help farmers to increase yield?

 

Digital Tree Health Audit System (DTHAS) is a unique method of recording, analysing and interpreting citrus tree data with the help of Samhitha Citron App. In this system, individual citrus trees are tagged indicating the serial numbers. Information regarding trees will be entered into the Citron App in different formats like text, image, audio and video. Digital Tree Health Audits give precise information of different problems affecting the trees in three categories viz. severely affected, moderately affected and slightly affected. Virtual maps can be generated based on the query depicting problems or a combination of problems along with their spatial distribution. History of individual trees will be built systematically with periodic audits at specified intervals such as quarterly, half-yearly or annually. The actual numbers of trees present in the orchard will be known. 

 

This has the following categories: 

 

 No trees (Dead/Removed) 

 Slightly Sick

 Moderately Sick

 Severely Sick

 

 This can give the initial picture of the Health Status of the orchard.

 

 

How Samhitha Crop Care Clinics is using IoT & AI technologies for Citrus orchards management?

 

 A digital blueprint of the entire field is first created in Citron App; followed by a soil and water profiling exercise to understand the true nature of the field. Ground truth data is also captured through the telemetry devices which continuously monitor the field for soil moisture, soil temperature, EC and Soil pH values. The field personnel then capture high-resolution images and videos of every tree. 

 

Samhitha’s proprietary computer vision algorithms built into the app enable faster data collection, as pests and disease detection and classification is done during the data collection stage itself. Samhitha’s AI algorithms then combine and analyse the remote sensing data and Ground truth data against a plausible more than 500 advisory solution available in Samhitha’s knowledge base.

 

What is a Citron App? How will it benefit farmers?

 

Citron App is a one-stop solution for farmers, advisors and experts for data collection, analysis and advisory. Through the app, soil, weather and plant data are monitored and analysed in real-time and through expert advisory, the resources in the agricultural field are optimised. 

 

With DTHAS, via Citron app,

  • Treatment can be limited to affected trees instead of treating the entire orchard.
  • Healthy trees will be given special care to improve their productivity.
  • Specific trees can be verified at any point to cross-check the data entered.
  • History of individual trees will be known to assess their performance.

 

What is the status of precision farming in India?

 

Precision farming, at the first look, appears to be not for developing countries where the farmers lack capital, landholding is small and farming is still done by traditional means. However, there is a huge potential for improving agricultural production in India.

 

In India, agriculture supports the livelihood of over 60 per cent of the population, where 82 per cent of farmers are small or marginalised, and contributes to over 18 per cent of GDP. They have limited access to high-end technology, crop experts, and markets. Samhitha was conceptualised with a singular goal – offer precision farming advisory to farmers. We empower the agriculture experts on the ground with insights, who in turn, guide the farmers – this guidance usually starts from seed selection to planting, irrigation to fertilisers, and harvesting to soil quality

 

The two most critical challenges in Precision Advisory are On-Time advisory delivery and advisory at the most granular level, i.e., at an individual tree level. Samhitha provides precision advisory by relying on two types of data sets – remote sensing data and ground truth data. We capture remote sensing data through spectral imagery enabled drones and local weather stations installed in the fields. Samhitha overcomes these challenges by relying on Samhitha’s citrus knowledge base in combination with innovation in IoT & AI technologies.

 

                                                                                                                      

                                                                         Dipti Barve

dipti.barve@mmactiv.com

 

Samhitha Crop Care Clinics, a precision farming

Agrotech, IT, Sustainable Energy

The award has been granted under Innovative Product/Technology/Services Promoting Sustainable Agriculture category

Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM) has received the ‘Sustain Agriculture Award 2021’ by FICCI. The award was conferred on SLCM for its proprietary AgriReach process management system. AgriReach combines a series of processes, audits and real-time tracking of the facilities to give error-free results and minimise the risk of damage to stored crops. It uses techniques like geo-fencing, real-time tracking, bar-coded storage receipts to avoid thefts or pilferage and internal audits with a ‘maker and checker’ policy at each level of operation.
 
The company since April 2021 has started executing its warehousing contracts using the proprietary ‘AgriSuraksha’ solution, another product under the Agri Reach umbrella that incorporates the latest Internet of things (IoT)-based surveillance technology.
 
SLCM in October 2021 has rolled out the beta version of its path-breaking AgriReach Mobile Quality Check App for agricultural commodities under the AgriReach umbrella. The QC App enable 360-degree evaluation by a cross-section of stakeholders that includes processors, traders, exporters, importers, government agencies and financial institutions such as banks.
 
The award was received by Salman Ulla Khan, Chief Business Office, SLCM along with Rakesh Kumar Rana, Chief Business Officer, Digital Initiatives, SLCM on behalf of the organisation.

The award has been granted under Innovative

Animal Health, Poultry

Each of the four variants has been designed to improve growth rate, weight gain and enhance the immunity of the flock

Suguna Foods has launched ‘Layer chicken feed’ in Bihar. Layer chickens are a breed of hens having a significantly enhanced capacity for producing eggs from 18-19 weeks of age and continue till 80 weeks and above. The conglomerate has launched four types of Layer feed, each designed to be given to the hens at various stages during the bird’s life cycle.

Layer Chick Crumble feed is recommended from 0- 8 weeks which helps in gut development and strives to improve growth rate, weight gain and enhances the immunity of the flock. The highly nutritive formulation aims to reduce early chick mortality (ECM) and consequently improves the livability of the flock.

Layer Grower Crumble feed is recommended from 9 – 17 weeks. It helps to maintain the skeletal body frame and organs development. This nutritious feed has been meticulously formulated to reduce pullet mortality and ensure flock uniformity.

Layer Crumble feed has been formulated for two phases, based on the stage of the birds. Phase 1 is recommended between 18- 52 weeks while Phase 2 can be used from 53 weeks onwards. At both stages, this wholesome feed aids in maintaining peak egg production and helps in achieving optimum egg weight and ensuring strong eggshells.

Each of the four variants has been

Acquaculture, AgroPolicy

Discussions were held on the need to come up with environment-friendly fishing and also look for sustaining the sector while continuing the consumption

World Fisheries Day was recently celebrated in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Taking part in the event, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala said that the fisheries sector has tremendous potential for growth and the Government of India is providing all necessary support to achieve the one lakh crore export target from the sector by 2024-25.

 

Rupala added, “There is a need to come up with environment-friendly fishing and also look for sustaining the sector while continuing the consumption,” adding that the government has set a target to achieve one lakh crore export from the sector by 2024-25. He called for greater awareness of Kisan Credit Card (KCC).   

            

Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Dr L Murugan said, “The government is implementing MatsyaSampadaYojana and has infused Rs 20,000 crore in the sector through the scheme. Seaweed farming is another part where the government is putting more emphasis on. We are also focusing on empowering fisherwomen and promoting entrepreneurship in the sector.”

 

Several awards were given during the event. Balasore, Odisha was awarded as the Best Marine District in the country. Andhra Pradesh was awarded the Best Marine State while Best Inland State Award was given to Telangana. Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh received the Best Inland District award; and Best Hilly and Northeastern State and District awards were taken away by Tripura and Bongaigaon, Assam respectively.

Discussions were held on the need to

Agrotech, Finance

The funds will be used to expand business across India and Southeast Asia, strengthen full-stack services, and ramp up hiring for their sales and marketing, agronomy

Bengaluru-based precision agriculture platform Fasal has raised a $4 million pre-Series A round led by 3one4 Capital with participation from existing investors Omnivore and Wavemaker Partners. Other investors in this round include Genting Ventures (Malaysia), The Yield Lab Asia-Pacific, Antares Investments, and Sandeep Singhal of Nexus.

 

Fasal will use the funds raised in this round to expand their business across India and Southeast Asia, strengthen full-stack services, and ramp up hiring for their sales and marketing, agronomy, and technology teams. By ensuring maximum yield from small farms, Fasal’s eco-friendly and affordable precision farming solution is disrupting the $42 billion progressive horticulture industry.

 

Fasal is a full-stack AI-powered IoT SaaS platform for progressive horticulture. Using on-farm sensors and scientific algorithms, Fasal delivers farm and crop-specific actionable insights to farmers in vernacular languages. The platform is also working on a range of new services including F&V market linkages and parametric crop insurance.

The funds will be used to expand

Warehousing, Webinar

Over 120 participants from different states participated in the webinar

Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA) under the aegis of the Department of Food and Public Distribution recently organised a webinar on the ‘Importance of Warehousing Registration and Benefits of e-NWR to FPOs/PACCs.’ Over 120 participants from different states participated in the webinar.

 

Harpreet Singh, Chairperson inaugurated the webinar. He emphasised the importance and natural advantage of the PACS/FPOs in providing warehousing facilities at the farm gate. Singh suggested a business model for PACS/ FPOs by providing composite services of aggregation, sorting/grading, assistance in providing pledge finance through financial institutions and sale at appropriate times as a collective lot to get the best process and thereby increasing the income of the farmers. PACS/FPOs can hire unutilised warehouses in their localities in case they don’t own warehouses and upgrade them to WDRA standards to extend benefits to the farmers.

 

WDRA has given a detailed presentation on the process of registration with WDRA, concessions and Electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (e-NWR) benefits extended to the PACS/FPOs. It is informed that registration fees are substantially reduced to Rs 500 for FPOs/PACS/SHGs as compared to Rs 5000 to Rs 30,000 for other conventional warehouses along with a reduction in other charges.

 

A short film on the development of the warehousing sector and the benefits of e-NWR was launched. A presentation regarding the repository eco-system was made by M/s NERL.

 

Jainendra Aloria, NABARD has given an extensive presentation on different Central Government schemes for promoting PACS and FPOs. He explained about various subsidies and assistance provided for the construction of warehouses by NABARD.

 

 

Over 120 participants from different states participated

Agro chems – Pesticides, Finance

HLB, a common citrus greening disease is the most severe threat to global citrus production

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced an investment of nearly $11 million for research to combat Huanglongbing (HLB), commonly known as citrus greening disease. HLB, caused by an insect bacterium, is the most severe threat to global citrus production.

 

“NIFA’s Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension programme bring the nation’s top scientists together with citrus industry representatives to find scientifically sound solutions to combat and prevent HLB at the farm-level,” said Dr Carrie Castille, Director, NIFA. “This year’s awards represent all three major US citrus growing regions and include possible solutions ranging from blocking HLB transmission from inside the insect vector to utilising novel anti-microbial peptides to treat HLB-infected trees.”

 

The fiscal year 2021 five funded Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension projects include:

  • Texas A&M AgriLife Research will leverage public-private partnerships between state agencies, universities, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, and the citrus industry to pursue advanced testing and commercialization of promising HLB therapies and extend outcomes to stakeholders. ($7,000,000)
  • University of California, Riverside will build on previous work and evaluate the performance of 300 hybrid citrus trees in established trials to map HLB tolerance/resistance genes and release superior new rootstocks. ($1,499,998)
  • University of Florida seeks to develop a bacterial pathogen transmission-blocking strategy (specifically to block Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the pathogen that causes HLB) toward mitigation of citrus greening-related losses in an integrated pest management framework. ($1,020,810)
  • University of Florida’s project will support the needs of both commercial and residential citrus growers by comparing new tools to support young trees and developing management recommendations for the incorporation of each tool into production and residential settings. ($750,000)
  • University of Florida aims to introduce and transfer the natural HLB resistance present in Australian limes into conventional citrus to produce HLB-resistant Australian lime hybrid rootstocks and deploy these hybrids to protect susceptible citrus scions against HLB. ($500,000)

 

 

HLB, a common citrus greening disease is

Agrotech, Dairy, Start ups

The prog is jointly launched by Startup Nation Central, Israel, TiE Hyderabad and TiE Israel

Agritech startup Cornext that offers low-cost, innovative quality feeding solutions for Indian dairy farmers, is one among the seven startups selected from India for the ‘Indo Israel Cohort Program’ jointly launched by Startup Nation Central, Israel, TiE Hyderabad and TiE Israel. The first cohort of the programme will focus on innovations in the agritech sector, and the shortlisted startups will undergo speaker sessions and workshops on sensitization to Indian/ Israeli culture, business culture, perspectives on local market, consumer behaviour and exposure to high-growth sectors in both countries. 

 

The first cohort of the mentoring programme includes startups with the potential for social and economic impact. The eight-month programme will help startups get access to insights on new technologies, new markets and help in creating new opportunities.

 

Cornext is soon launching a first of its kind mobile app FeedNext which offers low-cost quality feeding solutions such as baled silage, TMR (total mixed ration), fortified hay, mineral mixtures, feed supplements, etc to dairy farmers. The new e-marketplace ‘FeedNext’ will be a one-stop shop for all feeding requirements of dairies.

 

Madhav Kshatriya, CEO, CORNEXT, said, “This recognition further strengthens our commitment to ensure easy availability of affordable and quality fodder for increasing profit margins of farmers and creating livelihood opportunities for the unemployed. We look forward to engaging with other startups in the cohort and learning from key business leaders from India and Israel’s startup community” 

 

Ranvijay Lamba, Program Co-Chair, Board Member, TiE Hyderabad said, “We aim to encourage innovation and technology partner for startups and to give them the right mentoring opportunities for guidance on different aspects of the business. After a very rigorous selection process, we have selected seven startups from India and five startups in Israel in the categories of smart farming, precision agriculture and farm management offering, novel and alternate foods and food Tech. The shortlisted startups are already doing some incredible work in their respective areas.”

The prog is jointly launched by Startup

AgroPolicy, Logistics, Supply Chain, Trade

PM Modi recently announced the withdrawal of farm law

Pradeep Multani, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has appreciated the decision to withdraw three farm laws by the Prime Minister. The decision on this auspicious day of Gurpurab highlights the commitment and dedication of the Government to the welfare of countrymen in an adequate democratic way.

 

The decision to form a committee to address the farm issues would go a long way to identify the actual pain points of the farmers and help the government to make adequate farm policy to enhance the income level of the farmers, particularly the marginal farmers which are 80 per cent of the total farmers and hold less than 2 hectares of land. PHD Chamber looks forward to a great policy environment, which is for the benefit of every segment of the society and intends to make India a $5 trillion economy in the coming times.

 

DRE Reddy, CEO and Managing Partner, CRCL said, “While it is good that the PM has announced the repeal of farm laws by empathising with the protesting farmers, in the same tempo, the government has to look at drastic reforms in the farm sector through inclusive participation of all stakeholders with the sole objective of ensuring right kind of gains for the farmers which should motivate more farming activity besides eliminating middlemen that can benefit the common man in the form of lesser prices of commodities. 60-70 per cent of our population are making a lively hood out of farming, contributing 20 per cent to GDP which needs immediate attention through inclusive decision making.”

PM Modi recently announced the withdrawal of

AgroPolicy, Cold Storage, Supply Chain

Farmers were sensitised about parameters of grain quality, bio-fortified crops along with ongoing projects of the Centre and the importance of fortified rice

The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) organised a one-day awareness programme for the ‘progressive’ farmers of Hapur district by the Indian Grain Management and Research Institute (IGMRI), Hapur under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, D/o Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.

 

The theme of the programme was to share the role of the department in food security management in the last 75 years in the country, various refractions of foodgrains and the importance of fortified rice. The programme was conducted at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Hapur and was attended by 30 farmers.

 

Dr Rajendra Kumar, Principal, Amar Singh PG College Lakahaoti, Bulandshahr presided over the programme and called upon for the participation of the farmers to increase the grain production, both in quantity and quality to strengthen the food security system of the country. Further, the importance of proper nutrition to consumers especially infants, pregnant and lactating mothers were also emphasised.

 

Developments in the field of food security management in the last 75 years since independence and the role of the department were presented to the audience. The various parameters of the grain quality and bio-fortified crops along with ongoing projects of the Government of India and the importance of the fortified rice were shared with the participants followed by an exhibition to identify fortified rice and different storage structures focusing on the methods of safe storage of grains.

 

Vishwajeet Haldar, Deputy Commissioner (S & R), D/o Food and Public Distribution, Dr Gautam Kumar, Deputy General Manager (Quality Control), Headquarters, Food Corporation of India, New Delhi, Dr Preeti Shukla, Assistant Director, (S&R), Quality Control Cell, New Delhi, Dr Ashok Kumar Singh, Scientist, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Hapur, Dr RK Shahi, Director In-charge of Institute, Agricultural Scientists and Subject Matter Specialist also attended the programme.

Farmers were sensitised about parameters of grain

Finance, Sustainable Energy

The company reported Profit before tax (before exceptional items) of Rs 1,831.9 million

BASF India registered sales of Rs 34,054.9 million for the second quarter, which ended on September 30, 2021, as compared to Rs 24,597.3 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year, representing an increase of 38 per cent.

 

The company reported Profit before tax (before exceptional items) of Rs 1,831.9 million as compared to profit before tax (before exceptional items) of Rs 1,113.8 million in the prior-year quarter.

 

For the half-year ended on September 30, 2021, the company registered sales of Rs 64,184.1 million, as compared to Rs 42,462.2 million for the corresponding period of the previous year, an increase of 51 per cent. Profit Before Tax (before exceptional items) stood at Rs 4,316.3 million for the half-year, compared to Profit Before Tax (before exceptional items) of Rs 706.0 million for the corresponding period of the previous year. Profit After Tax (after exceptional items) stood at Rs 3,346.2 million in the second half of 2021, as compared to Profit After Tax (after exceptional items) of Rs 3,816.5 million reported in the corresponding period of the previous year.

 

“Stronger customer engagement, enhanced adoption of digital technologies, higher capacity utilization and robust working capital management enabled the company record a 38 per cent growth in sales and a 64 per cent increase in profit before exceptional items over the previous year,” said Narayan Krishnamohan, MD, BASF India. 

The company reported Profit before tax (before

Agrotech, Supply Chain, Sustainable Energy, Trade

The FICCI-YES Bank Knowledge Report- India beyond 75: Envisioning Smart & Sustainable Agriculture was also released at the event

Speaking at FICCI’s Agriculture Summit and Awards Dr Ashok Dalwai, CEO, NRAA, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, said that adopting a sustainable approach to practising agriculture should involve meeting the demand of key stakeholders including farmers and consumers as well as ecology. The production system needs to spread horizontally beyond the agronomic crops by focussing on the nutritional need of the consumers. We need to move from primary to secondary agriculture by reducing food waste, increasing shelf life, connecting to the markets, meeting different tastes and preferences.

 

“We must also now focus on Ecosystem-Based Agriculture (EBA), which goes beyond Integrated Farming Systems (IFS). The difference between EBA and IFS or ILS (Integrated Livelihood System) is that it considers the need for a participative approach to the practice of agriculture,” he said. 

 

The FICCI-YES Bank Knowledge Report- India beyond 75: Envisioning Smart & Sustainable Agriculture was also released at the event.

 

Dr Sudhanshu, Secretary, APEDA, complimented FICCI on acknowledging the industry for the initiatives taken towards farmer income enhancement. “In this transformation of agriculture in the last seven decades, starting from the Green Revolution to the White Revolution, and now leading to sustainable agriculture, the agricultural policies by the government, supported by the stakeholders, we have now come to a stage where from being a net importer, we have become a leader in agricultural production and now play an active role in agri-exports,” he said.

 

T R Kesavan, Chairman, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President, TAFE, said that cutting down wastage at the farm gate is the first step to sustainability. The second part of sustainability is to preserve what you grow.

 

Sanjay Sacheti, Co-Chair, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Executive Director & Country Head, Olam Agro India said that sustainable agriculture has two aspects– farmer livelihoods, and promoting resource use efficiency in agriculture.

 

Rahoul Sawani, President – South Asia, Corteva Agriscience said that globally, the current climate challenges continue to demonstrate the critical role of sustainable practices and the vulnerability of the value chain in agriculture. It has demonstrated the need for smart and sustainable agriculture by putting the Indian farmer and their needs and aspirations at the centre of the engagement. Corteva Agriscience is committed to enriching lives together through sustainability.

 

Sunjay Vuppuluri, National Head, Food & Agribusiness Strategic Advisory & Research (FASAR), YES BANK said, “For a country that has to feed 17 per cent of the global population with only 11 per cent of the global arable land, there is an immense need for the private sector, academia and the community at large to partner with the government and develop sustainable agricultural production systems which enable food security for all, in an ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible manner.”

 

Sundar Raja Vadlamani, President-Supply Chain, SeedWorks said that seed being a primary input has the onus of ensuring food security. Right seed, the right technology and the right environment are the keys to sustainability and prosperity.

 

Suketu Doshi, Director, Sulphur Mills mentioned that serving agriculture with tech innovation can relish nutritious food produced in farms across the globe.

The FICCI-YES Bank Knowledge Report- India beyond

AgroPolicy, Supply Chain, Trade

Forms committee to promote zero budgeting-based agriculture, to change crop patterns as per the changing needs of the country

The government has decided to withdraw the three farm laws. This information was provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an address to the nation. Wishing the people of the country on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, Modi talked about the challenges of the farmers being faced.

The Prime Minister pointed out that many initiatives have been taken for the farmers to get the right price for their produce in return for their hard work. The country has strengthened its rural market infrastructure.

“We not only increased the MSP, but also created a record number of government procurement centers. The procurement of the produce made by our government has broken the records of the last several decades”, he said.

The Prime Minister said in this great campaign to improve the condition of the farmers, three agricultural laws were brought into the country. The objective was that the farmers of the country, especially small farmers should be strengthened, they should get the right price for their produce and maximum options to sell the produce. The Prime Minister said for years, farmers of the country, agricultural experts of the country and farmers’ organisations of the country were continuously making this demand. Earlier also many governments had brainstormed on this. This time also there was discussion in Parliament, brainstorming took place and these laws were brought up. In every nook and corner of the country, many farmers’ organizations welcomed and supported it. The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the organizations, farmers and individuals who supported the move.

The Prime Minister said that the Government brought these laws for the welfare of farmers, especially small farmers, in the interest of the agriculture sector, for a bright future of ‘gaanv-gareeb’ – village-poor, with full integrity, clear conscience and dedication towards farmers. He continued, “such a sacred thing, absolutely pure, a matter of farmers’ interest, we could not explain to some farmers despite our efforts.

Agricultural economists, scientists, progressive farmers also tried their best to make them understand the importance of agricultural laws.

Modi announced the formation of a committee to promote zero budgeting based agriculture, to change crop patterns as per the changing needs of the country and to make MSP more effective and transparent. The committee will have representatives of the central government, state governments, farmers, agricultural scientists, and agricultural economists.

Forms committee to promote zero budgeting-based agriculture,