Latest news with #Agriculturedepartment
Politico
02-08-2025
- Business
- Politico
Senate passes first funding package ahead of shutdown cliff
'It's taken a great deal of work, good faith and negotiation to get to this point,' Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine). 'Congress has a responsibility, a constitutional responsibility under Article I, for the power of the purse. We are executing that responsibility.' The package would provide almost $154 billion for military construction and veterans programs. It would send more than $27 billion to the Agriculture department and FDA. Both represent a roughly 2 percent boost over current levels. The Senate rejected an amendment from Sen. Jeff Merkley, an appropriator and the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, that would bar the rescission, or clawback, of funds in the bill by the White House. Democrats are worried that the administration will send another rescissions package ahead of the fall funding deadline, which would likely implode any hopes of getting a larger funding deal. Still, Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, defended the smaller deal reached among senators, saying that the package 'rejects damaging cuts from Trump and House Republicans.' The Senate adopted by voice vote an amendment from Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Alex Padilla of California that would bar the use of any funds in the bill to reduce services provided by the Veterans Crisis Line. Senators rejected other amendments from Democrats including one that would have halted funding of the Agriculture Department reorganization and another to require a report on staffing reductions at the VA. They also rejected amendments from Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) that would have made deeper cuts to the Agriculture-FDA bill. The chamber also voted 75-21 to reject a proposal from Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin that would bar lawmakers from taking credit for earmarks. It would require the funding to be revoked if a lawmaker were to ever tout their earmarks in interviews, mailings, speeches or even on the campaign trail.
New Indian Express
10-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Odisha farmers see red as ‘spurious' seeds fail to germinate
KENDRAPARA: Farmers of Rajkanika block are up in arms against the Agriculture department, accusing it of supplying them spurious paddy seeds in May. They alleged that despite sowing the seeds in time, the plants failed to flower by July, a stage normally reached within 20 to 25 days of germination. With their hopes dashed, many farmers are now warning of a looming food crisis due to the barren seeds. 'I wasted my strength and money on my land because of the spurious seeds. I sowed the seeds supplied by the Agriculture department. Nothing came out of it,' said Kangali Rout of Dasabhagaria village. The frustration was shared widely among farmers in Bharigada, Dasabhagaria, Achutapur, Maneiadiha, Baradia, Olaver, and Kantapada villages under Rajkanika block. Another distressed farmer from Dasabhagaria, Radhakanta Sahoo said, 'I sowed paddy seeds in May, but they failed to germinate by June. I borrowed Rs 60,000 from the village cooperative society for cultivation. Now I am unable to repay the debt.' Following the advice of the block agriculture officer, many farmers had opted for a new high-yielding paddy variety, expecting 30 to 35 quintal per acre. But the results were devastating. The seeds simply didn't germinate, said Chakradhar Das, another farmer. Contacted, chief district agriculture officer of Kendrapara Suresh Chandra Mallick said the seeds were provided through agricultural cooperative societies to help farmers grow kharif paddy. The farmers were advised to use good quality fertilisers, pesticides, and ensure adequate irrigation. 'However, many used poor-quality inputs and didn't water the seeds properly, which may have led to germination failure. Besides, torrential rains may have damaged the saplings. We will examine the seeds in our laboratory,' he added. However, farmers refuted Mallick's claim. 'We used proper fertilisers and pesticides. We irrigated the fields well. The seeds failed because they were barren,' said Kalakar Mallick, a farmer of Bharigada. Farmer leader Gayadhar Dhal demanded that the government should take strict action against the officials and suppliers responsible for distributing the spurious seeds.
The Hindu
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Alert on Giant African Snail infestation in Alappuzha district
The Kerala Centre for Pest Management (KCPM) under the Agriculture department has issued an alert over Giant African Snail infestation in Alappuzha. Officials said here on Wednesday that with the onset of the monsoon, the widespread presence of African Snail has been observed in various parts of the district. The KCPM has urged both farmers and the public to remain vigilant against the pest, which damages crops. Since the secretions of African snails might contain parasites capable of causing diseases in humans, it is essential to handle and control them with extreme caution. 'Effective eradication is possible only through coordinated, community-based control measures,' the KCPM said in a statement. Given that the nematodes found in the secretions of African snails have the potential to cause encephalitis in humans, the KCPM emphasised that large-scale awareness campaigns and control measures should be launched under local self-government institutions, the Agriculture and Health departments, and other relevant agencies. African snails attack a variety of agricultural crops, including banana, tuber crops, ginger, turmeric, papaya, citrus fruits, and leafy vegetables, causing significant crop damage. They cause the most destruction to banana leaves. According to officials, the snails have a very high reproductive capacity. 'Both male and female reproductive organs are present in a single individual. On average, one snail can lay up to 900 eggs, of which about 90% will hatch. Under favourable conditions, they can live for seven to ten years, during which their population multiplies rapidly,' the statement added.
New Indian Express
18-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Agriculture, fisheries colleges to be set up in Odisha's Balangir & Sonepur
BHUBANESWAR/BALANGIR: The state government on Tuesday fulfilled the long-standing demand of Balangir and Sonepur by announcing to set up agriculture and fisheries colleges in the two western Odisha districts respectively. The announcement was made by deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo at the state-level Krushak Samavesh held here to mark completion of the first year of the BJP government in Odisha. 'The Agriculture department has decided to set up a college of agriculture at Balangir and a college of fisheries in Sonepur,' said Singh Deo. The proposed college at Balangir will be the fourth such institute under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT). The other three colleges are in Bhubaneswar, Bhawanipatna and Chipilima. Currently, the state has only one college of fisheries at Rangeilunda near Berhampur in Ganjam district. The announcement of an agriculture college came as a consolation for the people of Balangir who have been demanding for an Agriculture university as promised by the previous BJD government which had also made a token provision of `1 lakh in the Agriculture budget for 2014-15 and 2015-16. The previous government had also started the process for establishment of a college of fisheries in Sonepur by constituting a committee headed by the dean of Agriculture, Chipilima to prepare a detailed project report. The district administration was also asked to identify a suitable location for the college which would require about 60 acre of land. After identifying a suitable site, the then district collector had written to the Fisheries and Animal Resources department in 2023 to send a team to assess the suitability of the area for the proposed college. Even after repeated reminders, there was no response from the government. The issue was raised in the Assembly during the budget session by Birmaharajpur MLA Raghunath Jagadala. To his utter dismay, Fisheries and Animal Resources Minister Gokulananda Mallik replied that his department has not received any proposal for a fisheries college in Sonepur.
Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Agriculture dept plans to use land to build farm produce shopping mall
Maharashtra's Agriculture department is planning to construct special shopping malls in different parts of the state where farmers can sell their produce directly to consumers. The malls are set to be built on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model and will be on land parcels owned by the Agriculture department. The pilot project is likely to be set up soon. 'One of the main factors affecting the farmers is the right price for their produce. Some serious efforts need to be taken in this regard and this is one of the ideas that we are working on,' said Maharashtra's Agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate. The Agriculture department has over 35,000 acres of land across the state. It also owns land parcels in different cities which are either lying vacant or being encroached upon. Cities like Pune, Solapur, Nasik, Nagpur have such land parcels which are lying unused for years. These plots are being planned to be used for the purpose of building a special shopping mall in partnership with investors and private players using the PPP model. As per the plan, 50 percent of the mall will be given to the private players for commercial use where shops and showrooms of their choice can be set up. This area may be given on a 30-40 years lease basis to the private player. The remaining 50 percent area will be given to set up shops only to farmer bodies, self help groups, farm producers' companies and even individual farmers. 'Nobody other than those related to farmers will be allowed to set up shops in that 50 percent part,' said Kokate. The department is planning to undertake a pilot project soon whereby one such shopping mall will be built in each of the administrative divisions of the state. Based on the success of the experiment, a big city in each district will house such a mall. 'The land belonging to the Agriculture department has been lying vacant and in some cases encroachment too has been observed, especially in bigger cities in the state. The move is to put this land into use and convert it into a model which will ensure steady financial earning to farmers,' said Kokate.
