We are starting this new section to make you acquaintance with the current scenarios and development happening in Agricultural Sectors in monthly basis. These Agri-Updates and Current Affairs should be proved as very much beneficial to any Competitive Examination of Agriculture and Allied Sciences.
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August 2020
Centre launches pilot project to reduce emissions from agriculture
The government of India on July 28, 2020, launched the Green-Ag Project funded by the Global Environment Facility to reduce emissions from agriculture and ensure sustainable agricultural practices. The project will be implemented in Mizoram, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttarakhand. Along with Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers’ Welfare, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) are also associated with this project.
Kashmir’s precious saffron earns the GI tag
The GI tag certification was bestowed finally to Kashmir’s saffron. The original Kashmiri saffron is marked for its longer and thicker stem, deep-red colour, slightly bitter flavour and strong aroma. Lately, it has been facing competition from the Persian saffron, which has acquired a meaty share in the Indian market today. The GI would help the Kashmiri saffron to gain more reputation in the export market, thus helping the farmer earn better income.
Indian Meteorological Department launches “Mausam” app for general public
On the IMD’s foundational day celebrations a new mobile application called “Mausam” was launched which will give real-time updates and warnings across 450 cities across the country. Other than weather forecasts, users can access radar images and be warned of impending weather events. The app was designed and developed in a joint effort made by IMD, ICRISAT’s Digital Agriculture and Youth team and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune. IMD already has another app, Meghdoot, meant only for farmers and those involved in agriculture.
Directorate of Cashew Research launches ‘Cashew India app’ for sector
The Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR) at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka has developed the ‘Cashew India’ app for farmers and other stakeholders of cashew in India. The app is available in 11 languages.
Banks sanctions about Rs 90,000 crore concessional credit to 1.1 crore KCC holders
As part of the Rs 20.97 lakh crore stimulus package, the government had announced Rs 2 lakh crore of concessional credit through KCC to 2.5 crore farmers, including fishermen and those involved in animal husbandry.
Centre to convert ravines of Chambal region into arable land with World Bank support
The Centre, in collaboration with the World Bank, has decided to convert large area of ravines in Gwalior-Chambal belt of Madhya Pradesh into arable land that will help agricultural and environmental development as well as help in creating employment opportunities ultimately leading to the overall development of the region.
Acreage under pulses risen by a third this season, production target at 25.6 mt
The acreage under pulses has risen by a third this season and is likely to make the country self-sufficient in the commodity. This year, the government has set a pulses production target of 25.6 million tonnes, which is 11.2 % more than the estimated output of last year.
New guidelines have been released for setting up 10,000 FPOs by 2023-24
Union agricultural minister, Narendra Singh Tomar on 10 July 2020 has released new guidelines for setting up FPOs. A total of 10,000 FPOs are to be formed in the country by 2023-24 and each FPO will be supported for five years and about Rs. 6,866 crore will be spent for this purpose.
Source: http://agricoop.nic.in/sites/default/files/English%20FPO%20Scheme%20Guidelines%20FINAL0.pdf
NDDB promotes ‘Pashu Ayurveda’ to control animal diseases
The Indian dairy industry is promoting use of ‘Pashu Ayurveda’, or ethno-veterinary medicine, to help control animal diseases and decrease the chances of pathogens jumping from them to humans, as in the case of novel coronavirus after seeing success in a pilot project run at Sabarkantha dairy in Gujarat.
Prevalence of undernourished and stunting children are declining but obesity in the adult population is increasing in India: UN Report
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in collaboration with some other organisations i.e. IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO has published a report entitled ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020’. The report has stated that prevalence of undernourishment in the total population has declined from 21.7 % (2004-06) to 14.0 % (2017-19). Similarly, prevalence of stunting in children (under 5 years of age) has declined from 47.8% (2012) to 34.7% (2019). But the prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) has increased from 3.1 % (2012) to 3.9 % (2016).
Source: https://www.unicef.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/SOFI-2020-full-report.pdf
The Food and Agriculture Organization has launched a geospatial data platform
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 21 July 2020 has launched the Hand-in-Hand geospatial platform (https://data.apps.fao.org/), a GIS data platform which will supports all stakeholders with rich, shareable data (agro-ecology, water, land, soils, GHG, etc.), respecting the proper protocols of data confidentiality. The platform also includes a subnational system of donor information developed by FAO and its partners.
Odisha decided to introduce locally produced millets into ICDS, PDS
Keonjhar district will introduce finger millet (ragi) for pre-school meals from July. Locally cultivated ragi will be part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme for the first time in Odisha. Additionally, 14 districts a part of the state’s Millet Mission will provide ragi through the public distribution system (PDS) from September. This initiative may help Odisha to address immense malnutrition burden as about 45% children are stunted and almost 41% women have a below-normal body mass index, in this state according to the National Family Health Survey, 2015-16.
NABARD launches Scheme: Rs 5,000 crores allocated to computerise PACS
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has launched a refinance scheme for financial institutions and banks. It has allocated 5,000 crores for the scheme. Under the scheme, the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies are to be turned into multi-service centres. The fund allocated under the scheme is to be made available to financial institutions and banks to lend to the beneficiaries in 2,150 watershed development projects.
Source: https://nabard.org/news-article.aspx?id=25&cid=552&NID=65
Soil animals are getting smaller with climate change and intensive land use
A research paper uploaded in bioRxiv reported that both climate change and intensive land use decreased biomass of soil microarthropods. But the climate change and intensive land use effect in two different pathways as climate change reduced mean body size, while intensive land use decreased population size.
Source: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2020/01/28/2020.01.26.920330.full.pdf
Intake more plant protein to lower risk of mortality
A group of researchers have reported that high intake of total protein is associated with a lower risk of mortality from all causes. Intake of plant protein is associated with a lower risk of mortality from all causes and from cardiovascular diseases. An additional 3% of energy from plant proteins a day is associated with a 5 % lower risk of death from all causes. Findings were based on systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. But no significant association was found between the intake of total and animal protein and risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality. The result has been published in the BMJ journal.
Source: https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m2412.full
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