KrishCrop insurance fail: Only

₹ 8Cr. spent for NE

7 States, 4 UTs not part of PMFBY this

summer: Out of ₹1,400 crore earmarked

annually for the north-eastern states un-

der the centers flagship Pradhan Mantri

Fasal Bima Yojana, only ₹ 8 crore-or just

over half a percent-was actually spent last

year, according to senior agriculture min-

istry officials. 4 north-eastern states-

Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur

and Mizoram-are not covered under the

scheme at all. In fact, farmers in 7 states

and 4 UT nationwide will not be covered

by the scheme in this kharif or summer

season, for which sowing begins in next

month.

Lack of Interest: Some large state like

Bihar, West Bengal have withdrawn from

PMFBY to set up their own state-level

schemes and Punjab has never participat-

ed in the scheme, while UTs like Delhi,

Chandigarh are largely urban spaces.

However, states in the Northeast, as well

as the UT of Daman & Diu, face challenges

such as the lack of interest by insurance

companies and the lack of state budgetary

resources to pay their share of the premi-

um, say officials. The Centre is now mak-

ing it compulsory for insurance companies

to bid for these states as well. Read More:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/

crop-insurance-fail-only-8-cr-spent-for-ne/

article27154584.ece

Government mulls algorithm

boost to farm insurance payouts

The union agriculture ministry is looking

at algorithms to fix delays in paying

famers their claim under the Pradhan

Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), a major

issue hobbling the flagship crop insurance

scheme. The government is experimenting

with big data analytics, artificial

intelligence (AI) and machine learning to

quicken assessment of crop damage, a

lengthy and often disputed mechanism,

people familiar with the matter said. If the

PMFBY is to achieve its most critical goal-

timely payouts to famers –it cant fly with-

out a raft of high-end technological fixes

experts say. Analyzing the scheme‟s

design in his recent work „Supporting

Indian Farms the Smart Way‟,

economist Ashok Gulati predicted that,

for prompt crop insurance settlement,

India could even need a fleet of cloud-

penetrating satellites for faster

crop-loss estimates. Setting up such a

constellation would likely cost Rs.2000

crore, according to Gulati‟s calculations.

The government has taken the first few

steps in harnessing high-tech and the

results are “Optimistic”, an official said.

Norms require four crop cutting

experiments at every village. This means

the country must conduct about 7

million such experiments to estimate

yields, an official said. This is the stage

in yield-estimation process where high-

tech is being brought in. For instance,

the brief given to CropIn was twofold.

One was to help reduce the number of

farm locations for conducting crop

cutting experiments to save time. Two,

how could AI help give better idea of

yield and output? CropIn used its

remote-sensing tool called SmartFarm

to glean information of the current and

previous years to “identify homogeneity

and heterogeneity of expected yield”,

the firm‟s head of R&D Richa Hukum-

chand said. SmartFarm‟s algorithms too

can zoom in on farms through remote

sensing and by reading pre-assigned

digital signatures for specific crops, they

can identify the crop, its maturity stage

and other parameters. SmartFarm has

estimated that crop cutting experiments

can be reduced by 30%.

In this Issue

Crop insurance fail: Only ₹ 8Cr. Spent

for NE (1)

Government mulls algorithm boost to

farm insurance payouts (1)

Now, AI to help government gauge

crop yield (2)

Honour Crop Insurance Claims: IRDA (2)

Giving crop insurance a chance (2)

High resolution rice maps can help

boost production (3)

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: An

Assessment of India‟s Crop Insurance

Scheme (3)

Intensified drought affects 82 lakh farm-

ers in Maharashtra; these crops suffered

the most (3)

Over 2.25 Cr Farmers Receive Rs.2000

under PM Kisan scheme since April 1

(3)

Farmers Upset after Crops worth lakhs

destroyed due to cyclone Fani in Puri &

Khurda (4)

More Crop Per Drop‟: How PM Krishi

Yojna is making agricultural land more

productive (4)

Cultivation of high crops banned along

border (4)

NBHC releases rabi crop estimates for

the year 2018-19 (4)

Declining storage levels in reservoirs a

worry for farm sector (4)

Monsoon to advance in next 3 days

after a week‟s lull (5)

El-Nino Forecast - May 2019 (6)

NABARD Announces Rs.700 Cr VC Fund

for agriculture & rural startups to im-

prove investment ecosystem in farm

sector (7)

Project to use technology to study crop

yield estimates (7)

Villagers boycott election over non-

payment of crop insurance (7)

Goa minister proposes inclusion of agri-

culture in school syllabus (7)

Extreme climate can halve crop yields:

Study (7)

Birds impacting agricultural crops a ma-

jor concern (8)

Farmers seek payment of crop

insurance (8)

A News Magazine from Krishi Care & Management Services Pvt. Ltd. Krishi

Read More: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-

news/government-mulls-algorithm-boost-to-farm-

insurance-payouts/story-

MHUcImQSsxFo1Z5BKQwdXL.html

Now, AI to help government gauge

crop yield

In order to speed up claim settlement of farm-

ers under the existing crop insurance scheme,

the agriculture ministry has decided to use

specialized agencies to carry out pilot studies

to estimate crop yield at village/gram pancha-

yat level using innovative technology. The

move will help in quickly arriving at an

“accurate” yield estimation figure.

The studies will be conducted during the up-

coming „kharif‟(summer sown crop) season

and the findings will be submitted by mid-

February 2020. The technological tools to be

used in estimating crop yield include high

spatio-temporal remote sensing data, Un-

manned Aerial Vehicle machine learning, ad-

vanced intelligent crop simulation models and

artificial intelligence. According to the

„Expression of Interest‟ issued for inviting ex-

perienced agencies for pilot studies, the minis-

try has initially identified eight crops-paddy,

soybean, cotton, bajra, maize, sorghum,

groundnut and guar. “Once the agencies

come ut with yield estimation figures, it will be

adopted in the „Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima

Yojana‟ (PMFBY) for speedily settling claims

insured farmers,” said an official.

Currently, the PMFBY uses „Crop Cutting Ex-

periments‟ (CCEs) to determine the yield loss

suffered by farmers due to natural calamities

and adverse weather conditions. The CCEs are,

however, a time-consuming method which

results in delay in settlement of claims.

“Use of technology will speed up the entire

process. The findings of the pilot projects will

be assessed for taking a decision for accurate

yield estimation at village/gram panchayat

level,” said the official. The implementation of

pilot project would be overseen by the Ma-

halanobis National Crop Forecast Centre

(MNCFC), the agency which is currently carry-

ing the yield estimation exercise at district lev-

el covering more than 80% of the agriculture

area in the country.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/now-ai-to-

help government-gauge-crop-yield/

articleshow/69404589.cms

Honour crop insurance

claims: IRDAI

The insurance regulator has issued

a circular urging insurers to honour

claims arising from crop insurance.

The two mass government insur-

ance schemes, the Pradhan Mantri

Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and

Restructured Weather Based Crop

Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS), cover

a higher number of farmers. But

large scale coverage has also re-

sulted in higher claims from the

sector.

The regulator IRDAI has instructed

insurance companies to meet with

various stakeholders and ensure

there is adequate representation

from all the sides before rejecting

claims. “It is the election season, so

it is to everyone‟s interests if the

government schemes are seen as

benefiting farmers, “said an official

with a public sector insurer who did

not want to be named.

For instance industry, it is un-

healthy if the claims is higher than

the premium they collect. Despite a

fairly decent harvest this fiscal, in-

surers continue to face high claims,

said industry sources. IRDAI on

Wednesday instructed insurance

companies to ensure there is

“proper representation in stake-

holder meetings relating crop in-

surance with deputation of senior-

officials with required decision making

power to attend them.” RDAI also in-

structed insurance companies to coordi-

nate their efforts with the state govern-

ments, run awareness programmes for

PMFBY and upload data on the National

Crop Insurance Portal with the help of

the partner banks. “In case of an individ-

ual loss assessment request, companies

should honour the request. In case of

rejection the same should be communi-

cated to the individual in vernacular lan-

guage,” said IRDAI.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/

bengaluru/honour-crop-insurance-claims-irdai/

articleshow/68514816.cms

Giving crop insurance a chance

When Cyclone Fani swept through the country, an estimated Tk38.5 crore worth of crops were damaged, adversely affecting the lives of nearly 14,000 farmers. This is not the first time farmers have been hit hard by bad weather, and it will not be the last -- and since nobody can control the weather, a viable mechanism needs to be in place to protect farm-ers from these losses. It is good to see that the government has not for-gotten the fate of the farmers - the agriculture minister has been com-piled. The initiative is a noble one, and no doubt farmers are right to expect some form of compensation, but a better solution to the problem may be proper crop insurance. Agri-culture cannot forever remain subject to the mercy of the weather; like any other profitable, viable business ac-tivity, farming should be insured, with all the risks taken into account. Al-ready, there are some crop insurance programs at play, which allow farmers to claim compensation from the insu-

Pre-Monsoon rain 22%

short so far, large deficiency

in 7 states

insurer after certain conditions of damage have been met, such as cyclones or tropical storms in the area of a certain magnitude, or when rainfall rises above a certain level. Crop insurance also empowers farmers to plan for, and save for, a longer term, even after keep-ing in mind the possibility of having their crops destroyed by adverse weather events.

Intensified drought affects 82 lakh farmers in Maharashtra;

these crops suffered the most

In Maharashtra drought has intensified with 18.51 per cent live storage left in dams, 8.5 lakh livestock in fodder camps and 12,000 villages and hamlets depending on water tankers. Around 82 lakh farmers are affected by the drought. The situation can worsen in the Marathwada and Vidarbha (Nagpur) regions, where storage levels have further depleted to 5 and 10 per cent. According to the State Water Resources Department data on 3rd May, 3,267 major, medium and minor dams in the State have just 18.51 per cent live storage compared to 29.95 per cent on the same date last year. Also 18 major projects in the State don‟t have live storage. Adding to it, Nashik division is also facing a water crisis with 17.62 per cent water storage left in dams as compared to 30.81 per cent last year. The sugar-rich Pune region also has 21.43 per cent water stock as compared to 33.87% water on the same day last year. Approximately 4,774 water tankers are plying in the State. Howev-er, during the same time last year 937 tankers were deployed to quench the thirst of villagers. 1,264 fodder camps across the State have shel-tered 8.5 lakh cattle and demands for more fodder camps are pouring in from the Marathwada region.

Talking about Karnataka, then it is also suffering. Maharashtra and Karnataka are facing a severe drought situation this year, as per the Ministry of Agriculture data. Twenty four out of 30 districts (80%) in Kar-nataka and 26 out of 36 districts (72% in Maharashtra are reeling under wa-ter scarcity and crop failure. It is to be noted that, the severity of drought is more in Maharashtra, 85.76 lakh hectares is affected, which is 44% of the total affected area in the country. The Maharashtra government asked for ₹7,522-crore aid. It said that more divisions could be added to the list of drought-affected districts, but the Centre has approved only ₹4,714-crore in drought aid to the State.

As per the State government, 68 lakh farmers have been given drought relief funds and steps are being taken to ensure that affected farmers get their crop insurance claim without any delay. Many crops suffered. Kharif crops withered due to drought and many farmers did not sow any rabi/winter crops at all. All important crops, like maize, soya, cotton, mosambi, pulses and groundnuts have suffered due to poor rainfall.

Source: https://krishijagran.com/agriculture-world/intensified-drought-affects-82-lakh-farmers-in-

maharashtra-these-crops-suffered-the-most/

High resolution rice maps can help

boost production

Mapping and monitoring of paddy cultivation

areas can help make effective strategies for the

spread of new technologies, sustainable crop

management and diversification options among

rice growing farmers. Large scale paddy map-

ping at medium or high spatial resolution is rare,

primarily due to limited availability of cloud-free

optical imagery. The rice paddy maps, which are

freely distributed by International Rice Research

Institute, Philippines are of coarse spatial resolu-

tion and more than nearly seven years old.

Read More: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/

high-resolution-rice-maps-can-help-boost-production-64358

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: An

Assessment of India‟s Crop Insurance

Scheme

Attribution: Ruchbah Rai, “Pradhan Mantri Fasal

Bima Yojana: An Assessment of India‟s Crop Insur-

ance Scheme”, ORF Issue Brief No. 296, May 2019,

Observer Research Foundation.

The PMFBY has made several improvements com-

pared to its predecessors, the National Agricultur-

al Insurance Scheme and the Modified National

Agricultural Insurance Scheme. One of the high-

lights of the PMFBY is the absence of any upper

limit on government subsidy, even if the balance

premium is 90 percent. The scheme was imple-

mented in February 2016 and was allocated an

initial central-government budget of INR 5,500

crore for 2016–17. It has increased by 154 per-

cent, as announced in the Interim Budget of

2019. This massive increase in the outlay for the

scheme shows that it is important for the govern-

ment to insure all farmers and guarantee financial

support and flow of credit to them in the event of

crop-yield loss.

Read more: https://www.orfonline.org/research/pradhan-mantri-

fasal-bima-yojana-an-assessment-of-indias-crop-insurance-

scheme-51370/

Over 2.25 Cr farmers re-

ceive Rs.2000 under PM

Kisan Scheme since April 1

More than 2.25 crore farmers,

counting 1.08 crore in the elec-

torally significant Uttar Pradesh,

have received the 2nd installment

of Rs. 2000 each under the PM-

Kisan Yojana since 1st April as per

official data. On one had, these

farmers have received the initial

installment of Rs. 2000.

Read More: https://krishijagran.com/

agriculture-world/over-225-crore-farmers-

receive-rs-2-000-under-pm-kisan-scheme-

since-april-1/

Source: https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/editorial/2019/05/09/giving-crop-insurance-a-chance

Farmers upset after crops worth lakhs de-

stroyed due to cyclone Fani in Puri & Khurda

Farmers are the ones who are left high and dry in every nat-

ural disaster. and cyclone Fani is no exception. The deadly

cyclone Fani made a landfall in Puri on Friday and has badly

affected the farming community and animal husbandry sec-

tor in the state.

The high-cost Rabi season crops that were ready for har-

vesting is destroyed by the strong winds of Fani. And very

soon, the standing paddy, moong, oilseed crops & betel

plantations were on the grounds flooded in knee-deep wa-

ter. Farmers, who took pains to raise the expensive moong

and oilseed or til crops after taking finance are currently in

a state of shock. They are just thinking of how to pay back

the incurred loan.

Read More: https://krishijagran.com/agriculture-world/farmers-upset-after-

crops-worth-lakhs-destroyed-due-to-cyclone-fani-in-puri-khurda/

NBHC releases Rabi crop estimates for

the year 2018-19

National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC) has come out with

its final report on Rabi crop estimate for the year 2018-19 where

it has stated that scanty rainfall has resulted in significant fall in

sowing areas of major crops in states of Gujarat, Maharashtra,

West Bengal, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana

and Tamil Nadu.

Read More: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/nbhc-

releases-rabi-crop-estimates-for-the-year-2018-19/articleshow/68885839.cms

„More Crop Per Drop‟: How PM Krishi Yojna is

making agricultural land more productive

The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee (PMKSY)‟, launched in

2015, brought together various schemes regarding irriga-

tion, micro-irrigation, command area development and

watershed development under the ambit of a single um-

brella. All the schemes had a universal motto-‟More Crop

Per Drop‟ - something that can be described as immensely

important for sustainable and drought-proof agriculture.

Many of these schemes have been around for about 15

years now with varied success rates across the country.

Read More: https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/more-crop-per-drop-how-

pm-krishi-yojana-is-making-agricultural-land-more-productive-2105879.html

Cultivation of high crops banned

along border

Fazilla deputy commissioner Manpreet Singh Chhatwal has

issued prohibitory order against cultivating high rise crops

between international border and border security fence.

Such crops have also been banned on a stretch of 70 to

100 meters on the home side of Border Security Fence

(BSF) till June 27,2019 . Order reads that BSF authorities

have brought to the notice that some farmers were sowing

BT cotton, corn, ghawra, jawar, sugarcane, sarro, toria and

sunflower and other high rise crops of height 3 to 4 feet

between international border and border fence. “There is

every possibility of infiltrators crossing the Indo-Pak bor-

der in the shadow of these crops. Hence there is appre-

hension of breach of security, so immediate prevention

and speedy remedy is desirable,” it said.

Read More: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/cultivation-

of-high-rise-crops-banned-along-border/articleshow/69153357.cms

Declining storage levels in reservoirs

a worry for farm sector

Though India‟s fields and farms are fed by various irrigation

sources, almost 50% of the country‟s net cultivated area depends

on rainfall. The key water sources, including underground aqui-

fers, lakes, rivers and reservoirs get replenished only through

monsoon rains. But, after 2 consecutive below-normal monsoons

in 2017 and 2018, forecasts are again predicting below normal or

near-normal rainfall for 2019. We ran a check on the water levels

across regions, to see what's in store for the growth-starved farm

sector this year.

While 50% of the total area sown is monsoon dependent, the

remaining 50% is irrigated from groundwater and surface water

sources. Also, water levels in key reservoirs are receding fast. Ac-

cording to data from the Central Water Commission (CWC), wa-

ter levels in key reservoirs have been declining since October

2018-from 112bcm, which is 70% of the storage capacity of these

reservoirs, to 42bcm, about 26% capacity. However, the water

levels are better than last year (37bcm) and the average of last 10

years (41bcm)

Read More: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/declining-

storage-levels-in-reservoirs-worrying-famers/article26957577.ece

Monsoon to advance in

next 3 days after

week‟s lull

The monsoon is expected to gain

momentum and effect widespread

rainfall with isolated heavy rain over

the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

during the next five days, the India

Meteorological Department (IMD)

said. IMD had earlier said that the

monsoon was likely to hit the Kerala

coast on June 6 – a delay of five

days from its normal onset .

The IMD has also said the develop-

ment of a weak and short-lived El

Niño was likely to interfere with the

rain pattern. “We may see some

impact of El Niño in the first half of

the monsoon. But then, the turning

of another phenomenon, called In-

dian Ocean Dipole (IOD), from neu-

tral to positive may well compen-

sate for the loss,” said DS Pai, head

of IMD‟s long-range weather fore-

cast division. A positive IOD signi-

fies a warmer than normal western

Indian Ocean, which brings high

precipitation in the country, while a

coolerthan-normal western Indian

Ocean dries the weather.

The Australian weather office, which

is widely acclaimed for its forecast

on El Niño and Indian Ocean Di-

pole, said that the likelihood of a

positive IOD has increased. This

means India may see good rains

despite a weak El Niño along the

Pacific Ocean. “IOD index exceeded

the positive threshold value this

week. All but one of the six models

surveyed suggest positive IOD lev-

els will be maintained throughout

the winter,” the Australian forecast-

er said in its latest report.

Another global forecaster, the UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), has also predict-

ed a weak chance of the El Niño weather pattern. In its report, WMO said there was a 50%

chance of El Niño conditions from September. Read More: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-

and-nation/monsoon-to-advance-in-next-3-days-after-weeks-lull/articleshow/69549534.cms

MONSOON - 2019

El-Nino Forecast - May 2019

Several climate prediction centers around the world have confirmed on the prevalence of El-Nino. However, there is a great deal of debate on how the condition would pan out in the long term and what will be its effect on the upcoming monsoon and Kharif season. Forecasts are issued by several climate pre-diction centers around the world using both dynamical and sta-tistical models namely:

El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

Sea Surface Temperature (SST)

Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Predictions and expert opinions indicate for a weak El-Nino condition to occur is estimated at about 50-60% for March-May and about 40-50% for Jun-Aug 2019. The chance of strong El-Nino is low.

Australian Government, Bureau of Meteorology (BOM)

The El-Nino – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) outlook provided by the agency on 14

th May 2019 downgraded to from El Nino

“Alert” (70% chance of El-Nino forming from autumn; triple the likelihood) to “Watch” (50% chance of El-Nino developing in 2019; double the likelihood). The sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean remain close to El-Nino levels, water beneath the surface has slowly cooled over the past few months. Atmospheric indicators such as the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and cloudiness near the Date Line have generally remained in the neutral range. Also, The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is currently neutral.

International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI)

El Nino is still in its weak form as per the El Nino advisory published by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) on 9

th May 2019. According to the advisory surface

indicators were relatively unchanged during the April and early May. Overall the model forecasts show a continuation of weak El Nino-level lasting through 2019 with an approximate 70% chance of El Nino continuing during Jun-Aug, decreasing to 55-60% for Sep-Nov.

Indian Metrological Department (IMD)

Currently, weak El Nino conditions are prevailing over the equa-torial Pacific Ocean and the latest MMCFS forecast indicates that these conditions are likely to continue during the monsoon sea-son but with further reduced intensity. At present, neutral IOD conditions are observed over Indian Ocean and the latest MMCFS forecast indicates these conditions are likely to continue during the monsoon season.

Goa minister proposes inclu-

sion of agriculture in school

syllabus

Goa Deputy Chief Minister and Agri-culture Minister Vijai Sardesai urged the Education Minister make agri-culture a part of school curriculum in the coastal state as a work experi-ence for students. Addressing the-summer agriculture camp gathering south Goa at Fatorda organised by „We for Fatorda‟, the minister said the students who prefer farm-ing as a profession in future, would become model citizens if they are taught agriculture in schools.

Read More: https://krishijagran.com/agriculture

-world/goa-minister-proposes-inclusion-of-

agriculture-in-school-syllabus/

NABARD Announces Rs.700 Cr VC Fund for Agriculture &

Rural Startups to Improve Investment Ecosystem

in Farm Sector

The National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) on 13th

May 2019 announced a Rs 700-crore venture capital funding for equity in-vestments in agriculture as well as rural-focused startups. Till now, NABARD has been contributing to other funds but this is the very first time that the rural development bank has initiated a fund of its own.

According to an official statement, the fund has been launched by Nabven-

tures, which is a subsidiary of NABARD. It has a proposed an amount of Rs

500 crore with a choice to keep over-subscriptions of Rs 200 crore, known as

the greenshoe option. Readmore: https://krishijagran.com/agriculture-world/nabard-announces

-rs-700-cr-vc-fund-for-agriculture-rural-startups-to-improve-investment-ecosystem-in-farm-sector/

Project to use technology

to study crop yield estimates

In a bid to reduce the delay of crop in-

surance claim settlements and

increase the accuracy of compensation

due to farmers, a pilot project will test

the use of technology to determine

yield estimates at the panchayat level

this summer. Technologies such as sat-

ellite and remote sensing data,

unmanned aerial vehicles and artificial

intelligence will be used to assess yield

estimates without the need of time-

consuming and laborious crop-cutting

experiments, according to the parame-

ters of the project issued. “Crop yield

information is essential for the

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to

work, but the no. of CCEs needed for

accurate determination of yields have

increased multi-fold. PMFBY guidelines

call for 4 CCEs at the gram panchayat

level. The number of CCEs for produc-

tion estimated itself may go up 6-7

times,” says Shibendu Shankar Ray,

director of the Mahalanobis National

Crop Forecast Centre, which is oversee-

ing the project.

Read More: https://www.thehindu.com/news/

national/other-states/project-to-use-technology-to-

study-crop-yield-estimates/article27131642.ece

Villagers boycott election over

non-payment of

crop insurance

More than 2000 voters mostly farmers

and their family members, in at least

four villages, have boycotted polling in

protest against non-payment of crop

Extreme climate can halve

crop yields: Study

The frequency and severity of cli-

mate extremes is projected to fur-

ther increase in most regions

worldwide, which is likely to affect

the agricultural productivity. But,

even as the 2050 global agricultural

crop insurance for the year 2017-18.

When polling commenced at 6.am

on Thursday, people in seven villages

Thiruvadanai Assembly segment of

Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constit-

uency announced their decision to

boycott the polling in protest against

inordinate delay in payment of crop

insurance.

Read More: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-

paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/villagers-boycott

-poll-over-non-payment-of-crop-insurance/

article26883430.ece

global agricultural activity needs to be ad-

vanced by 1.75% every year to meet the de-

mands of people by the global food system is

at risk, warns a new study. Climate extremes

like– droughts or heat waves significantly im-

pact the yield od major staple crops around

the world like - wheat, rice and maize and

soybean, says the study-led by the research-

ers from Australia, Germany, Switzerland and

the United States.

In the Indian context: These findings do res-

onate with the Economic Survey of India

which warned that climate change could

reduce annual agricultural incomes in the

range of 15-18% on average & upto 20-25%

for unirrigated areas. In fact the proportion of

dry days (rainfall less than 0.1mm per day)

have increased steadily over the last one dec-

ade, and extreme rainfall shocks resulted in a

12.8% decline in kharif yields. By 2050, India is

likely to experience a temperature rise of 1-4

degrees Celsius and this is projected to have

a detrimental effect on farmers in more than

half of the country. Thus, this global research

has regional relevance for India too. Read More:

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/extreme-

climate-can-halve-crop-yields-study-64373

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Complete array of services benefitting the entire agriculture value chain

Customers includes agriculture stakeholders in Government, insurance companies and Private Sectors.

Team of experts with in-depth understanding and practical experience of end user needs.

Ability to deploy manpower rapidly as per project requirements.

Contact Us: Address: 501, Atlanta Estate, Nr

Virvani ndustrial Estate, Off Link

Rd, Goregaon (E), Mumbai, Maha-

rashtra 400063

Phone: 098202 80955

Over 2.1 lakh CCE’s

co-observed from

2014 to 2018

Over 44,000

Individual Loss

Assessment

Birds impacting agricultural

crops a major concern

Birds, known to play an important

role in pollination, putting a check on

pesky insects and rodents, could also

be causing drastic decrease in crop

yields by destroying them, according

to a report, which calls it an emerging

concern in Indian agriculture. The

avian species inflict losses in agricul-

ture by damaging crops during sow-

ing, seedling and ripening stages,

leading to economic losses to the

farming community, shows the inter-

ministerial report of the Committee

on Doubling Farmers Income (DFI) -

Volume X titled “Risk Management in

Agriculture‟, released by the Ministry

of Agriculture. “Birds, known to

cause considerable economic dam-

age to variety of crops during vulner-

able stages in different agro-

ecological regions of the country. It

identified 63 bird species of birds,

1,364, from 19 families that caused

damage to several crops.

Read More: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/

news/agriculture/birds-impacting-agricultural-

crops-a-major-concern-64588

Farmers seek payment of

crop insurance

Farmers held a rally in Rajkot on

Thursday seeking release of crop

insurance, especially in those talukas

which had been declared drought –

affected officially by the state gov-

ernment. The agitating farmers, who

also demanded permission for eu-

thanasia, clashed with the police.

Cops detained 34 farmers, including

8 women, who were released later.

President of Rajkot unit of Bhartiya

Kisan Sangh, Dilip Sakhia said,“ The

government itself declared Padadhri

and vichiya taluka drought-affected.

However, till date no assistance

has been received as per the

prevalent rules. The farmers and

cattle breeders here are facing

immense problems for water

and fodder, especially grass.”

The Bhartiya Kisan Sangh also

submitted a memorandum

demanding payment of crop

insurance from October last

year. The organization said that

in many talukas the amount is

yet to be released and in some

talukas, where it has been, the

amount is very less. The farmers

also alleged that in 2016-17the

insurance company paid claims

for groundnut crop, but not for

cotton

Read more: https://

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/

farmers-seek-payment-of-crop-insurance/

articleshow/68840131.cms