Agriculture Sector

The Centre wants to extend PMFME by five years to help more micro food businesses formalize, access finance and invest in technology, while reducing post-harvest losses and expanding food processing.

The policy shift gives local growers direct access to the Centre's MSP mechanism for the first time, with agencies already procuring 3,000 tonnes of masoor.

Climate-driven crop damage in Himachal Pradesh has driven up wholesale prices ahead of the Jammu & Kashmir harvest, prompting traders to turn to imports to plug the supply gap.

Amid El Niño concerns, urad is emerging as an outlier this kharif season. Higher domestic sowing and adequate imports from its top markets are expected to keep supplies adequate, helping contain food inflation and preventing sharp price increases for urad-made staples such as idlis and dal makhani.

The renewed focus on productivity comes amid rising dependence on imported cotton and declining domestic output.

A majority of India's khandsari sugar manufacturing units have registered on the National Single Window System (NSWS). This aims to enhance data transparency and ensure fair compensation for sugarcane farmers.

India's domestic edible oil industry is worried about the surge in edible oil imports from Nepal which, they say, is distorting the market. They also want the government to verify that the duty-free benefit is not being misused.

The uneven distribution of this season's monsoon rain has left India's major reservoirs perilously low, affecting agricultural prospects and drinking water supplies. Experts warn of severe impacts on both kharif and rabi crops if rainfall remains inconsistent.

Worries about too many people working on Indian farms seem to ignore a crucial fact—a youth exodus has already left the agriculture sector short of workers agile and savvy enough to modernize farming practices. Farmers need to earn more.