APMC News

An ugly joke has happened with a farmer from Maharashtra. Farmer Rajendra Tukaram Chavan went to Solapur Mandi to sell his 512 kg onion crop. Farmer Tukaram got a check of Rs.2 for selling his crop. He is a resident of Borgaon village in Barshi taluka of Solapur district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government worked at aiming to reduce the input cost of the farmers. He listed some farmer-centric initiatives of the Government like Soil Health Card, Neem Coating of Urea, scheme for distribution of solar pumps which helped in reducing the input cost for the farmers Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government tried to ensure that the country`s farmers get a fair price for the crop.

Union Agriculture Minister Tomar on Wednesday prepared a proposal to bring amendments in farm laws. Tomar has sent the proposal with amendments to Union Home Minister for his approval. The Agriculture Minister will send the proposal to farmers' union after getting Shah's approval.

Notices in this connection have been served to the traders, he said.

The average wholesale onion prices on Thursday came down to Rs 900 per quintal at Lasalgaon as against Rs 1,400 per quintal.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday called for focus on higher agriculture productivity through use of the latest technology and high-yielding crop varieties to help double farmers' income by 2022.

The National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) is planning to participate in the bidding process of Agri-Tech Infrastructure Fund (ATIF), which will be rolled out by the government to boost the agricultural marketing system.

Every few weeks farmer Jay Narayan Singh hauls onions and potatoes in a hired lorry to a wholesale market an hour`s drive from his home in the country`s northern plains, only to sell his vegetables at a quarter of the prices retail consumers pay.

Some states have introduced barriers to trade within the country through taxation and technical requirements.

Delayed monsoon and thin arrivals in the market drove onion prices up by Rs 200- 300 per quintal here Wednesday, Agriculture produce Market Committees (APMC) sources said.

The immediate measures also include encouraging high value agriculture like horticulture, floriculture, fisheries, poultry and dairy to enhance job creation.