#Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change

[todayworldnews2k21]

Heatwave preparedness should be a 365-day effort

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government made a gazette notification that heatwave is a state disaster, clubbing it with 13 other eventualities such as deaths caused by electrocution, thunderstorm and lighting, floods and snakebite. Families of victims including relief workers who died due to heatwave, would be eligible for an ex-gratia of ₹ 4 lakh. These are significant steps as greater onus is now…

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Climate change makes freak Siberian heat 600 times likelier (AP) This year’s freak Siberian heat wave is producing climate change’s most flagrant footprint of extreme weather, a new flash study says. International scientists released a study Wednesday that found the greenhouse effect multiplied the chance of the region’s prolonged heat by at least 600 times, and maybe tens of thousands of times. In the study, which has not yet gone through peer review, the team looked at Siberia from January to June, including a day that hit 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius) for a new Arctic record.

Mail delays likely as new postal boss pushes cost-cutting (AP) Mail deliveries could be delayed by a day or more under cost-cutting efforts being imposed by the new postmaster general. The plan eliminates overtime for hundreds of thousands of postal workers and says employees must adopt a “different mindset” to ensure the Postal Service’s survival during the coronavirus pandemic. Late trips will no longer be authorized. If postal distribution centers are running late, “they will keep the mail for the next day,″ Postal Service leaders say in a document obtained by The Associated Press. “One aspect of these changes that may be difficult for employees is that—temporarily—we may see mail left behind or mail on the workroom floor or docks,″ another document says. The changes come a month after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major donor to President Donald Trump, took over the sprawling mail service. In a memo titled “PMG Expectations and Plan,″ the agency said the changes are aimed at “making the USPS fundamentally solvent which we are not at this time.″ Postal Service officials, bracing for steep losses from the nationwide shutdown caused by the virus, have warned they will run out of money by the end of September without help from Congress. The service reported a $4.5 billion loss for the quarter ending in March, before the full effects of the shutdown sank in.

Twitter Hack Exposes Frailty of the Digital Public Square (Foreign Policy) Twitter accounts belonging to high-profile business leaders and politicians were hacked yesterday in the biggest security breach in the website’s 14-year history. Fortunately, the goal of the hackers was more con artist than saboteur. Accounts belonging to business leaders such as Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates as well as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and former U.S. President Barack Obama all posted a version of the same message: A call to donate money to a cryptocurrency account in return for your money back twice over. Despite the millions of followers these accounts have, the scam seems to have convinced very few of them. Only about $120,000 in bitcoin has been deposited to the hacker’s accounts, according to Reuters. Although the refrain “Twitter is not real life” is often used as a putdown toward the social media-addled masses, the website can have an outsized grip on reality. In 2013, a hacker took control of the Associated Press Twitter account and wrote a hoax tweet describing explosions at the White House. The tweet was quickly deleted, but not before tricking high-frequency trading algorithms—sending the U.S. stock market into a flash crash.

Barbados wants you to work from its beaches during the pandemic (NYT) In the first half of 2020, governments around the world imposed entry restrictions or strict quarantine procedures; flight traffic fell to its lowest level in decades. Many are confined not just to their countries, but also to their homes, as offices were shut down along with travel. But even as the pandemic continues to rage, the government of Barbados, a country in the eastern Caribbean, is sending a very different message: Come here, not just for a holiday, but for up to a year. Bring your laptop. Soak up the sun, the sea, the sand—and forget about the coronavirus. Dubbed the “Barbados Welcome Stamp” and launching this week, the program will allow visitors to stay on the Caribbean island visa-free for up to one year. The aim is to attract remote workers, with a bill to be introduced in Parliament by the government that will remove the local income taxes that normally kick in after six months. The program has unsurprisingly sparked global interest. Considered from a cramped apartment in London or New York, working remotely on a beach has an appeal even to those who know little about Barbados. Barbados is not the only country trying to open up to laptop-toting foreigners. Estonia is to launch its own long-awaited “Digital Nomad” visa program in the coming months, and countries including Georgia, Germany and Costa Rica already have visa programs geared toward freelancers.

A fight over nude swimming marks return of pre-coronavirus banalities in Europe (Washington Post) LYCHEN, Germany—There is perhaps no better sign that people are eager to move on from the coronavirus than the fact that this German lake district town is embroiled in a heated debate about nude swimming, and it has drawn national attention. The local council’s ban on naked swimming—and other activities such as naked yoga—has returned the town to the banalities of pre-coronavirus summers and earned it a spot on the national public broadcaster’s nightly newscast, where it received more airtime than the United States’ spiraling coronavirus outbreak that day. Nude swimming has long been socially acceptable in other parts of eastern Germany and in Lychen, a town of about 3,000 people nestled between glassy lakes. “Whoever wants to swim naked swims naked. And those who don’t, do not,” said vacation home landlord Martin Hansen, 60, who opposes the ban. But in May, after it became apparent that the first wave of the coronavirus had largely bypassed the region, the Lychen town council turned its attention from social distancing restrictions to bathing rules. To some council members, naked fellow residents swimming, doing yoga and playing volleyball had been a growing annoyance. The mayor and council moved to ban all nude activity at popular public bathing spots. The outrage that followed included an anonymous letter to the mayor, threatening to poison the town’s lakes if nudist swimming rights were infringed upon. The police announced an investigation. TV crews and newspaper journalists descended on Lychen. Mayor Karola Gundlach declined an interview request from The Washington Post, citing the excessive media coverage and adding, “It does not help if people from around the world send me emails and tell me or the town what to do, what is right and wrong.”

Minorities under attack as PM pushes ‘tolerant’ Pakistan (AP) It’s been a tough month for religious minorities in Pakistan, and observers warn of even tougher times ahead as Prime Minister Imran Khan vacillates between trying to forge a pluralistic nation and his conservative Islamic beliefs. A Christian was gunned down because he rented in a Muslim neighborhood in northwest Peshawar, not far from the border with Afghanistan. Another Christian, pastor Haroon Sadiq Cheeda, his wife and 12-year-old son were beaten by their Muslim neighbors in eastern Punjab and told to leave their village. The attackers screamed “you are infidels.” An opposition politician was charged this week with blasphemy after declaring all religions were equal. A senior political figure, allied with the government and backed by Islamic extremists, stopped construction of a Hindu temple in the capital Islamabad. Analysts and activists blame an increase in attacks on an indecisive Khan. They say he preaches a vision of a tolerant Pakistan where its religious minorities thrive as equals among an overwhelming Muslim majority. They say that at the same time he cedes power to extreme Islamic clerics, bowing to their demands and turning to them for the final say, even on matters of state.

India virus cases surge nearly 32,700, beach state shut anew (AP) India’s virus cases surged another 32,695 as of Thursday, taking the nation closer to 1 million and forcing a new lockdown in the popular western beach state of Goa two weeks after it was reopened to tourists. The new confirmed cases took the national total to 968,876. The Health Ministry also reported a record number of 606 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities up to 24,915. About a dozen states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam, have put high-risk areas under lockdowns, only allowing essential food supplies and health services. Goa state’s top elected official, Pramod Sawant, announced a three-day lockdown and a night curfew in the popular backpacking tourist destination, beginning Thursday night. He said people were flouting social distancing norms. Nearly 40,000 people were fined 100 rupees ($1.3) each in the past two weeks for not wearing masks.

Flooding in Bangladesh (Foreign Policy) As much as one-third of Bangladesh is now underwater after the country’s heaviest rainfall in a decade, according to Al Jazeera. As we reported last week, the floods began in part because of the overflowing of the Brahmaputra River. In the neighboring Indian state of Assam, at least 50 people have been killed as a result of the flooding.

Mysterious Fires Scorch Iran (Foreign Policy) Iran, already ravaged by U.S. sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, now faces another scourge: A wave of mysterious fires torching the country, including a blaze that burned seven ships in Bushehr, a major port city, on Wednesday. The fires include a July 2 explosion at an underground fuel enrichment plant in Natanz that the New York Times reported was part of a covert effort to undermine the Iranian nuclear program. The incidents have sparked fears in Iran that the United States and Israel are increasing sabotage operations directed at Tehran. No deaths were reported from Wednesday’s fire. Officials in Iran have blamed some of the fires on sabotage, but others appear to have been caused by accidents, equipment failures, and inclement weather, the Times reported. The fires may raise fears of military miscalculation between the United States and Iran. The blazes come as the United States failed to convince allies on the U.N. Security Council to extend an arms embargo against Iran set to expire in October, as Foreign Policy reported. The Trump administration faces opposition from allies in its efforts to continue its so-called “maximum pressure” campaign—a definitive effort to scupper the 2015 nuclear deal. A website close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Nournews, said this month that an attack on Natanz could cross a “red line” and lead to “fundamental changes” in the Middle East.

China becomes first economy to grow since virus pandemic (AP) China became the first major economy to grow since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, recording an unexpectedly strong 3.2% expansion in the latest quarter after anti-virus lockdowns were lifted and factories and stores reopened. Growth reported Thursday for the three months ending in June was a dramatic improvement over the previous quarter’s 6.8% contraction —China’s worst performance since at least the mid-1960s. But it still was the weakest positive figure since China started reporting quarterly growth in the early 1990s. China, where the coronavirus pandemic began in December, was the first economy to shut down and the first to start the drawn-out process of recovery in March after the ruling Communist Party declared the disease under control.

Taiwan holds military drills against potential China threat (AP) Taiwan’s military fired missiles from the air and the island’s shore facing China on Thursday in a live-fire exercise to demonstrate its ability to defend against any Chinese invasion. Assault helicopters launched missiles and fighter jets dropped bombs on targets at sea, while tanks and missile trucks fired from a beach to deter a simulated invading force. The drill was part of a five-day annual exercise that ends Friday. China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that is part of its territory. The self-governing island of 24 million people lies 160 kilometers (100 miles) off China’s southeast coast across the Taiwan Strait.

Japan “extremely concerned” as 136 COVID cases reported on U.S. bases (CBS News) The biggest coronavirus outbreak within the U.S. military anywhere in the world continues to grow. U.S. Forces Japan confirmed Wednesday another 36 infections among troops on the Japanese island of Okinawa, bringing the total to at least 136 since the U.S. military reported its first cases there last week. Until then, all of Okinawa had seen only 148 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since February, with Japanese authorities managing to contain the spread of the virus that causes the disease. In a sign of the growing tension between Japanese officials and the U.S. military in Okinawa, Defense Minister Taro Kono has pointed to “several problems” with the U.S. response to the pandemic. He notably avoided giving specifics when pressed by reporters earlier this week. “Okinawa residents are extremely anxious” about the spread of infection at U.S. military bases, said Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki, who flew to Tokyo Wednesday for a meeting with Defense Minister Kono to air his island’s grievances.

[reeiiedu]

Agriculture

Significant Crops in India 

An assortment of food and non-food crops are filled in various pieces of India, contingent on the varieties in soil, atmosphere and development rehearses. Significant harvests filled in India are

Rice 

Wheat 

Millets 

Heartbeats 

Tea 

Espresso 

Sugarcane 

oil seeds 

Cotton

Jute 

We will examine these individually, in detail. 

Rice 

It is a kharif crop. 

It requires high temperature and high dampness with yearly precipitation over 100 cm. 

India is the second biggest maker of rice on the planet after China. 

It is filled in the fields of north and north-eastern India, waterfront territories and the deltaic locales. 

Wheat 

This is a rabi crop. 

It requires a cool developing season and splendid daylight at the hour of aging. 

It expects 50 to 75 cm of yearly precipitation equally circulated over the developing season. 

The Ganga-Satluj fields in the north-west and dark soil district of the Deccan are two primary wheat-developing zones in India. 

It is the second most significant oat yield and principle food crop, in the north and north-western piece of India. 

Millets 

Jowar, Bajra and Ragi are the significant millets filled in India. 

These are known as coarse grains and have high dietary benefit. 

Maize 

It is a Kharif crop. 

It requires temperature between 21°C to 27°C and fills well in old alluvial soil. 

It is utilized both as food and feed. 

Significant maize-creating states are Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. 

Heartbeats 

India is the biggest maker and purchaser of heartbeats on the planet. 

Heartbeats are the significant wellspring of protein in a veggie lover diet. 

Significant heartbeats filled in India are Tur (Arhar), Urad, Moong, Masur, Peas and Gram. 

Heartbeats are generally developed in turn with different yields so the dirt reestablishes fruitfulness. 

Significant heartbeat creating states are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. 

Food Crops other than Grains 

Sugarcane 

It is a tropical just as a subtropical harvest. 

It fills well in hot and muggy atmospheres with a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and yearly precipitation between 75cm to 100cm. 

It tends to be developed on an assortment of soils. 

Needs physical work from planting to reaping. 

India is the second biggest maker of sugarcane simply after Brazil. 

Sugarcane is the primary wellspring of Sugar, Gur (Jaggery), Khansari and molasses. 

The significant sugarcane-creating states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana. 

Oil Seeds 

Distinctive oil seeds are developed covering roughly 12% of the all out trimmed region of India. Primary oil-seeds created in India are: 

Groundnut: is a Kharif harvest and records for half of the significant oilseeds delivered in India. Gujarat is the biggest maker of groundnuts. 

Mustard: is a rabi crop. 

Sesamum (until): is a Kharif crop in the north and rabi crop in south India. 

Castor seeds: It is developed as both Rabi and Kharif crop. 

Linseed: is a rabi crop. 

It is likewise a significant refreshment crop presented by the British in India.

The tea plant fills well in tropical and sub-heat and humidities with profound and prolific very much depleted soil, wealthy in humus and natural issue. 

Espresso 

Yemen espresso is created in India and this assortment of espresso is in extraordinary interest everywhere on the world. Its development was presented on the Baba Budan Hills and is restricted to the Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 

Cultivation Crops 

India is a maker of tropical just as mild organic products. Significant yields delivered are pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato. A portion of the renowned cultivation crops filled in India are: 

Mangoes of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal Oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya), bananas of Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. 

Lichi and Guava of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar 

Pineapples of Meghalaya 

Grapes of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra 

Innovative and Institutional Reforms 

Farming gives a vocation to over 60% of its populace, so this area needs some genuine specialized and institutional changes. The Green Revolution and the White Revolution were a portion of the changes started by individuals to improve farming. 

A few Initiatives taken by the Government are: 

Plans presented by Government, for example, Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS). 

Unique climate releases and horticultural projects for ranchers on the radio and TV were presented. 

The administration additionally reports least help value, gainful and acquisition costs for significant harvests to check the misuse of ranchers by examiners and mediators. 

Commitment of Agriculture to the National Economy, Employment and Output 

In 2010-11 about 52% of the complete labor force was utilized by the ranch area. The portion of agribusiness in the GDP is declining. 

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), rural colleges, veterinary administrations and creature reproducing focuses, cultivation development, innovative work in the field of meteorology and climate estimate, and so forth are a couple of the activities acquainted by the legislature with improve Indian farming.

[business2businessposts-blog]

Startup Watchlist: 10 Agritech Startups To Look Out For In 2019

Inc42 has compiled a list of startups that transform farmers' lives through the innovative use of technology

Some of the start-ups that agriculture startups india are AgroStar, Ninjacart, Crofarm, Bombay Hemp Company, Stellapps

The Indian agricultural sector needs a rapid technological shift to help address the critical gap between production and product procurement

This article is part of the Inc42 Startup List, an annual series that lists the best emerging companies to be aware of in 2019 from industries such as agritech, AI, logistics, healthtech and more. Explore all the news from the 'Startup Watch List' series here.

Agriculture and India share a unique association. From the wheat-rilled farms of Punjab to the crowded rice fields of Tamil Nadu, to tropical climate and fertility, mineral-rich land has helped agriculture flourish in India since time immemorial. In fact, agriculture is the basis on which the Indian subcontinent has been able to generate its rich civilizations.

However, in recent years, with global warming and depletion of water resources to feed the fields, yields of agricultural land in India fell. For example, although India is the largest producer of pulses in the world, the pulse yield (659 kg / ha) was the lowest among the Brix countries in 2014.

Agricultural growth in India has been somewhat volatile over the past decade, ranging from 5.8% in 2005-06 to 0.4% in 2009-10 and -0.2% in 2014-15.

In the face of low productivity, income and debt debt, farmers commit suicide by the thousands. In addition, given the increasing population of India, there is an urgent need to enhance agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner. Technology, which is the key to everything from unrest, is also accelerating with agriculture as a number of startups in agricultural solutions have begun to solve agriculture-related problems in India.

According to Inc42 Datalabs, Agritech's total funding in India increased from US $ 46.1 million in 2017 to US $ 66.6 million in 2018, giving us an idea of growing investor appetite and belief in agritech's potential in India; Based on agriculture in the country.

With the BJP-led government chosen as one of its core principles, the past four years have been characterized by multiple digital initiatives and governance. One of these steps is the establishment of the National Agriculture Market (eNAM), an all-India e-commerce portal aimed at creating a unified national agricultural commodity market aimed at eliminating intermediaries and helping farmers achieve better prices for their products.

However, despite these measures, there is a large gap between production, as well as issues related to adequate crop production and storage, which means that farmers are still unable to obtain fair prices for their products. They were keen to tell the government that they were unhappy by organizing rallies to New Delhi and other places as evidence of protest.

Aside from politics, the current scenario represents a great opportunity for start-ups in India to come up with solutions. As Mark Kent of venture capital firm Omnivore - "the opportunity involves a 1/6 humanitarian feed." This indicates 1.3 billion people in India.

Given the importance and disruption of the agricultural sector, Inc42 is responsible for following developments in this sector. We have also been keeping up with current and upcoming agritech companies in India. Here are some agritech startups to watch this year:

10 Agritech Startups To Watch Out For In 2019

AGROSTAR

AgroStar, an emerging e-commerce company based in Pune, sells agricultural inputs directly to farmers, as one of the leading agritech companies in India, especially after the funding that was collected to start agriculture industury startups in the country in 2017.

AgroStar, which aims to expand its services across India, is trying to solve the problem of logistics in recent miles in rural India to enable better service delivery. The deliveries made by its field team (rather than using an intermediary such as the India Post) have reinforced the delivery of packages on time.

AgroStar has covered more than 2,300 symbols, which means more than 25,000 villages in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Ninjacart

NinjaCart, to the marketing and delivery platform for agricultural products, raised $ 34.6 million (Rs. 250 crore) into a B-series financing round in 2018 with the aim of expanding into different geographic regions and doubling the supply chain infrastructure.

NinjaCart connects farmers to end retailers such as grocery stores, supermarkets and restaurants that buy fruits and vegetables. The startup also manages the logistics network, allowing for product capture and output.

The Bengaluru company has a network of resources with more than 3,000 farmers across South India and fresh products are transported from about 4,000 retailers in less than 12 hours of selection daily.

NinjaCart mainly operates in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad with a team of more than 750 people.

Crofarm

Founded in 2016, the Crofarm chain of shops starts the agricultural supply chain by buying fresh fruits and vegetables directly from farmers and providing them with online and offline retailers.

Crofarm provides services to more than 100 small and medium-sized retailers through its multiple distribution centers and demands less than 5% waste on its supply chain compared to the average 50% waste of fruits and vegetables throughout the country's supply chain.

Crofarm operates mainly in Delhi-NCR and has a network of farmers throughout UP and Haryana and Delhi. The company hopes to reduce the risk of intermediaries and simplify operations in the agricultural sector, which is largely unorganized.

Company Bombay Hemp

Following the global trend to explore the medical benefits of cannabis, Bombay Hemp Company researches, develops, develops products and markets cannabis products. Indian start-up operates everything from cannabis clothing to research and development of drugs for treating breast cancer and epilepsy.

Emerging companies help local farmers develop their fields by providing ideal seeds, feedback on farming techniques and the use of new agricultural products.

The emerging company also participated with the Scientific and Industrial Research Council (CSIR) to conduct medical research on hashish.

Stellapps

Stellapps, an emerging Internet of Things (IoT) dairy company, had a good performance in 2018, not only raising money but also getting the prestigious Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as an investor.

Stellapps, initially incubated at the IIT Madras Rural Technology Incubator, monitors the quantity and quality of milk and storage facilities, establishes wearable devices to track livestock health, and provides livestock infrastructure.

agriculture industury startups is done by using technology such as Internet objects and data analysis while accessing data through sensors embedded in milking systems, animal wearable devices, etc.

No cow cows required here!

Cropin

The main product of CropIn, based in Bangalore, SmartFarm, allows large companies to map the supply chain and provide real-time updates on farms, weather patterns and pests, etc., for farmers with smart phones and Internet connectivity.

From cropping to harvest, SmartFarm monitors the field and climate, and accordingly, sends an action plan to the farmer.

Cropin is also working with the Government of Karnataka to digitize farmer-producing organizations and with the Governments of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh in the climate adaptation program to help farmers fight climate change.

Arav for unmanned systems

Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS), based in Bangalore, developed its first-class commercial UAVs with the first UAV-equipped unmanned aerial vehicle (INSIGHT-PPK) in India. According to the founders, the unmanned PPK agritech startup is three times more accurate and twice as fast as the most common market solution.

The emerging company, which has raised an unknown amount in a pre-A-2018 financing round, provides three-dimensional land-surface presentations that can transform and change the way decisions are made in agriculture. .

In March 2017, AUS said it had seen a six-fold increase in revenue over the previous year.

gramophone

Gramophone, an emerging company based in Indore, Gramophone, initiated by graduates of IIT Kharagpur Nishant Vats and Tauseef Khan, is a comprehensive solution for all types of inputs to agriculture. The start-up company helps farmers with their toll-free number: farmers can communicate with them simply by giving an unanswered call and finding solutions to all problems related to agriculture.

They can also buy agricultural products such as seeds, crop protection, nutrition, etc., directly from the company's trading platform.

Ugaao

ugaoo.com is a gardening and agriculture platform that was launched at the end of 2015 and focuses on the horticultural market and landscaping. The emerging company works closely with farmers and provides them with high-quality organic seeds, among others, through its online platform.

It communicates with consumers in Tier 2 cities such as Surat, Nashik and Kuchi to capitalize on the growing market potential in these cities. It is aimed at farmers who have been exposed to the latest technologies and are knowledgeable about using applications.

In 2016, Ugaoo collected $ 425,580 (INR 3 Cr) from Namdeo Umaji Seed Company in favor of an e-commerce company.

EM3 Agricultural

Established in 2014, EM3 Agri offers agritech startup services and machinery for rent to farmers. The start-up provides agricultural-for-use services for each step of the growth process, including land development, land preparation, agriculture, agriculture, crop care and harvesting, post-harvest field management.

EM3 has partnered with the Rajasthan Government to provide small farmers with access to capital equipment, such as tractors, combine harvesters and advanced agricultural tools.

In 2017, I received funding of $ 10 million from the B Series from the UK-based Global Innovation Fund (GIF) and the current investor, Aspada Investments.

[cakandivali]

Farm loan waiver: How to nip it in the bud

Latest Updates - CA Mitesh By Naveen P SinghDespite substantial increase in agriculture production and productivity levels over the years, farmers’ indebtedness has not changed significantly. According to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey (Nafis) 2016-17, 52.5% of agricultural households were indebted. Considerable efforts have been taken in channelising institutional credit to farmers and raising farm credit disbursement targets, with allocations increasing by Rs 1 lakh crore in every Union Budget over the past three years. But non-institutional credit still hovers around 40%, and the majority of small and marginal farmers rely on moneylenders. The share of marginal and small agricultural households in total non-institutional borrowings is around 52.40%. Moreover, access to institutional borrowings increases as land size increases and vice versa. Since 2014, India has seen large-scale loan waivers as a populist device and a short-term tool addressing the plight of delinquent farmers. Starting from waivers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana of Rs 24,000 crore and Rs 17,000 crore, respectively in 2014, and in Tamil Nadu of Rs 6,095 crore in 2016, a wave of farm debt relief spread across states. In 2017-18, Maharashtra waived off Rs 34,000 crore of loans, Uttar Pradesh Rs 36,000 crore, Punjab Rs 10,000 crore and Karnataka Rs 8,000 crore. Most recently, the newly elected governments in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh also started the process in December 2018. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, eight states have already announced waivers of amounts that add up to a massive Rs 1.9 trillion. Increasing episodes of loan waivers disrupt the credit cycle, leading to very high bad loan ratio that cripples the fiscal health. Increased default of farm loans further reduces flow of credit to farmers, making them more reliant on informal sources. On an incremental basis, banks disbursed only 6.37% of total credit in FY2018 to agriculture, the lowest in a decade. So, lenders are not only wary of giving out farm loans, but they are also unable to keep a lid on delinquencies. With loan waivers, capital investment takes a back seat, aggravating both demand and supply side constraints in the agriculture sector due to a likely fall in asset creation (irrigation, markets, power, etc) that is crucial for sustainability of the agriculture sector. The primary reason for this persistent distress is the inability of farmers to get remunerative prices, due to the prevailing disconnect with the value chain resulting from market asymmetry, and lackadaisical institutional and infrastructure support. Greater focus is required on enhancing their loan repayment capacity via smooth supply and value chains, and better price realisations. Two measures could be: 1)Institutional Strength: The most important constraint of Indian farmers is their small and uneconomical size of holdings. This can be overcome by encouraging the formation and working via farmer producer organisations (FPOs) that act as aggregators and help farmers overcome their unorganised nature. Farmers continue to hold their produce both for the want of immediate cash requirements and the lack of access to quality storage. Hence, government spending in the creation of suitable storage capacities — either independently or in public-private partnership (PPP) model — will not only help farmers to store their produce, but also connect them to institutional finance through amuch more secure mechanism of warehouse receipt finance through FPOs. 2)Better Decision-Making: The lack of availability of comprehensive information and advisory support to make farming decisions is a big hurdle. Agriculture and markets remain highly disconnected, with poor information flow across unusually long supply chains in most agricultural commodities. An independent national set-up could be created with a PPP at the block/district level to provide necessary information that would empower farmers to make the right decisions — from choice of crop and cropping practices, to harvesting and sales. This would augment input purchase support to small and marginal farmers, in line with direct cash transfer, as well as strengthen the efficacy of free market mechanism for ensuring remunerative prices. It's time GoI thinks of designing a procurement policy, with due consideration to region-specific crops for greater environmental sustainability and mainstream climate adaptation interventions in rural developmental programmes, rather than encourage loan waivers that only aggravate farm distress. The writer is principal scientist, National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi Chartered Accountant For consultng. Contact Us: http://bit.ly/bombay-ca