The Union Government has released Rs 60 crore to Andhra Pradesh towards its contribution under the national crop insurance scheme for the 2011 kharif. This had been pending for a few months.

With just five days left for registering for the agricultural insurance, farmers who have taken land on lease are in a quandary as to whether they will be benefited anyway by the insurance for which the State Government is prepared to pay the entire premium. With prospects for samba crop looking bleak, this assumes great significance.

Leasing cultivable land is a common practice. Besides, there is another system called “vaaram” under which the landowner shares the cost of cultivation.

The Union Minister of Agriculture has accorded administrative approval for the implementation of a Pilot Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBICS) for rabi 2012-13 season.

Criticising the State Government for neglecting the farmers and agriculture sector, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Monday demanded that families of farmers committing suicide shou

Tobacco export from India had increased 27.6 per cent during 2012, compared to 2011

Tobacco will become the first cash crop in the country to be covered by crop insurance in the country. Tobacco growers, chiefly in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh where the finest quality of tobacco is grown, will benefit from this. It was initially proposed that the Centre should bear 50 per cent of the insurance, the states 25 per cent of the insurance cost, with the remaining 25 per cent coming from tobacco growers. But, realising that growers were not in a position to bear their share, the Tobacco Board is considering bearing 50 per cent of the farmers’ burden itself. If this is effected, growers will have to bear only 12.5 per cent.

The State Government has decided to reiterate its demand for payment of crop insurance to farmers of 603 gram panchayats whose crops were damaged in natural calamities last year.

The Chhattisgarh government has decided to waive off farm loan of around 90,000 farmers in the state who had failed to repay the amount due to poor agriculture yield.

The farmers, who had taken loan during the period 1991 and 1997 from different cooperative and rural banks, would heave a sigh of relief with the state government’s announcement. The beneficiary includes mostly small and medium farmer.

The state government will spend a Rs 23 as premium to insure crops of 137 lakh farmers in the state, the state government's agricultural department said here on Friday. An official at the divisional agricultural office here said that a sum of Rs 3151 lakh has been already been provided as insurance premium for farmers whose crops will be insured during this year against any eventuality.

The programme known as 'Shetkari Janta Abghat Vima Yojana' has been continued by the state government this year as well.

Farmers in Odisha affected by last year's drought and floods would get compensation of Rs 657.32 crore as crop insurance.

It emphasises growing less water-intensive crops, fodder during low rainfall and soil testing

The University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) has come up with a contingency crop plan for southern Karnataka to tackle drought. UAS Vice-Chancellor Dr K Narayana Gowda said the contingency crop plan submitted to the State government lays stress on growing alternative crops and cultivating choices that are in tune with rainfall and soil fertility in the region. “The focus of the plan is on south interior Karnataka as the region accounts for a major share of State’s agriculture production. Moreover,