Latest news with #FPOs
Hans India
36 minutes ago
- Business
- Hans India
FPOs must harness tech to boost farm income: Collector
Tirupati: District Collector Dr S Venkateswar urged Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to embrace modern technology to maximise income and transform agriculture into a profitable venture. Speaking at a review meeting at the Collectorate on Thursday, he said the administration was actively working to support FPOs by facilitating access to bank loans and subsidies to procure advanced agricultural machinery. The Collector said that FPOs should fully utilise government schemes and policies to drive their growth. 'We will take appropriate measures based on a clear understanding of FPO operations and their needs,' he assured. Calling for coordinated action from all departments, he stressed the goal of making farming a viable livelihood for farmers. A key highlight of the meeting was the emphasis on the use of drones and other smart technologies to enhance agricultural productivity. Dr Venkateswar noted the need to diversify cropping patterns, encouraging farmers to cultivate millets in addition to traditional crops. He noted that horticulture crops were currently generating higher returns than traditional agriculture, and instructed officials to ensure both sectors are equally remunerative. As part of a broader push towards tech-driven farming, the Collector announced workshops for agriculture and allied department officials on emerging tools like Agri Stack and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He explained that Agri Stack was a unified digital repository that integrates key datasets such as farmer registries, geo-referenced village maps, and crop sown data. These datasets, unified through the Unified Farmer Service Interface, can be securely accessed by banks, insurance companies, agri-tech firms and government agencies. 'AI, when integrated with these datasets, has the power to radically transform farming practices,' he said, citing applications like multilingual chatbots, precision farming tools, real-time analytics, and image-based pest and disease diagnostics. He also unveiled a new mobile interface named APAIMS, designed to serve as a one-stop digital platform for farmers. This interface provides a host of services, including pest alerts through crop photo mapping and relevant spray recommendations. Joint Collector Shubham Bansal, District Agriculture Officer S Prasad Rao, District Horticulture Officer B Dasharatha Rami Reddy, Animal Husbandry Officer A Ravi Kumar and other senior officials attended the meeting.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Assess fire stations' needs based on population: Saini
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Sh Nayab Singh Saini said that keeping in view the increasing population, the need for fire stations should be assessed across Haryana so that the establishment of new fire stations can be ensured as per the requirement. The Chief Minister was chairing a meeting to review the progress of the Chief Minister's announcements. Chief Minister said that it is the state government's primary responsibility to ensure the availability of essential services such as roads, electricity and water for residents in hilly regions like Morni. He asserted that even if there is only one household in a remote area, the concerned departments must take appropriate action to provide basic amenities, ensuring that no resident faces any inconvenience. Saini directed that a special campaign be launched to make the state free of stray cattle. He instructed the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department to work in mission mode, in coordination with the Urban Local Bodies Department and the Gau Seva Commission, to ensure that all stray cattle are removed from roads and public places and safely relocated to gaushalas within two months. While reviewing the announcements of the Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Chief Minister directed that development works should be completed promptly and with high quality, ensuring that the benefits directly reach the public. He further instructed that a survey be initiated to channel water from the Yamuna River in the Kalesar area to Panchkula and other regions. This water can then be utilized for agriculture and other purposes, thereby giving concrete shape to the 'River Linking Campaign' envisioned by Prime Minister Sh Narendra Modi. Saini directed officials to regularly update the database of all subsidy-related schemes to ensure that farmers receive benefits in a transparent manner. He also suggested that the department formulate a special plan for the development of high-quality seeds through agricultural scientists, enabling farmers to achieve better yields. In addition, he said that the Horticulture Department should proactively engage with Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and provide necessary technical guidance to farmers while promoting horticulture under this year's action plan. Meanshile, the Managing Director/CEO of HARCO Bank, Dr. Prafulla Ranjan, has announced that the bank has waived all pro cessing fees and documentation charges on all types of loans for its customers until August 31, 2025.
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Tenant farmers can access Fasal Bima if authorised by landowners: Govt
The government on Tuesday said that tenant farmers can now avail benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) if they are authorised by the landowning farmer. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that even for minimum support price (MSP) purchases, if the landowning farmer provides authorisation, crops grown by tenant farmers can be procured at MSP with the permission of the state government. Earlier, tenant farmers were unable to receive the full benefit of several government schemes. Chouhan said this is now being addressed. According to the National Statistical Office's (NSO) Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households survey for 2018–19, 17.3 per cent of the total estimated 101.98 million operational holdings in rural India were on leased land. The share of such leased-in lands in the total area used for agricultural production stood at 13 per cent. In previous surveys, the NSO had estimated the share of leased-in holdings at 11.3 per cent and 6.5 per cent, respectively. However, several experts believe these figures are grossly under-estimated, as many tenancy arrangements are oral and undocumented. Chouhan also stated that tenant farmers or share-croppers can now become members of farmer producer organisations (FPOs). He said more than 650,000 tenant farmers had benefited under PMFBY in recent months, while MSP procurement had been extended to around 4.2 million share-croppers. He asserted that several reforms introduced by the government had led to the doubling of income for many farmers. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, record procurement had been made at MSP, fertilisers were made available at subsidised rates, and insurance claims worth ₹1.83 trillion had been settled. Chouhan also criticised the previous UPA government for rejecting a proposal to implement the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, which had called for fixing MSPs by adding a 50 per cent profit margin over the cost of production.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Horticulture mission to back project for FPOs
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Horticulture Mission has announced special support project for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) formed to improve agricultural production, value addition, processing, and marketing including exports. The project is being implemented through the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium Kerala (SFAC-K) under the agricultural department. An amount of I3 crore has been set aside for the scheme. Projects involving horticultural crops like fruits, vegetables, spices, plantation crops, mushrooms and honey will be supported. Priority will be given for projects that develop facilities for post-harvest processing, storage, value addition, marketing and export. Financial aid of up to 80 percent of the total project cost will be provided, with a maximum limit of I15 lakh. The projects must be carried out through loans from recognised banks. The loan amount should not be less than the subsidy offered. For details, FPOs can contact SFAC or approach the 'ATMA' project directors at their district principal agricultural offices. An MoU has been signed between the State Horticulture Mission and SFAC-Kerala. The aim is to complete the project within this financial year.
Hans India
4 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
State-level farm machinery inventory survey soon
Vijayawada: Director of agriculture S Dilli Rao announced on Sunday that the village farm machinery inventory survey will be launched shortly across the state, with a target completion date of August 31. This comprehensive survey, to be carried out by agricultural assistants at Rythu Seva Kendras (RSKs), will cover machinery held by individual farmers, institutions, FPOs, PACS, and private service providers, regardless of whether it was acquired through subsidies or personal funds. Speaking to the media, Dilli Rao explained that the survey aims to assess machinery availability based on crop area and season, and identify gaps at the village level. This approach will help develop village-specific, need-based budget plans and ensure a targeted supply of equipment. The survey will collect data on the ownership, usage, model, manufactured date, and condition of machinery, which will then be fed into the Farm Management Information System (FMIS) in the APAIMS 2.0 version developed by Vassar Labs. This digital integration is expected to enhance planning, monitoring, and budget allocation for farm mechanisation. Dilli Rao further explained the key objectives of the survey, which include creating a digital inventory of machinery at individual, institutional, and RBK levels, assessing the availability versus requirement of equipment by crop season and agro-climatic zone, providing data-driven support for Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), identifying idle or underutilised equipment for redistribution or shared use, and supporting policy formulation on farm machinery subsidies and deployment. He described the initiative as a strategic digital move that lays the foundation for future-ready, technology-driven agriculture. Dilli Rao called it a vital step toward equitable access to modern tools, efficient resource use, and inclusive mechanization, particularly for small and marginal farmers. District agricultural officers have been instructed to take personal responsibility to ensure the survey is completed through RSK assistants by the August 31 deadline.
