Agriculture Current Affair 19 August 2020

Rains pose threat to cotton, red gram crop in Telangana

With heavy rains lashing Telangana over the last two weeks, farmers growing cotton and red gram face threats from parawilt and phytophthora, respectively.

Cotton, which has been sown on over 60 lakh acres in the State, is vulnerable to parawilt, a physiological disorder, due to prolonged waterlogging of the fields.

This is not caused by any fungi or bacterial attack, explains R Jagadeeshwar, Director (Research) at the Prof Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU).

Brands jump onto the A2 cow ghee bandwagon

Tired of being afflicted with allergic rhinitis since childhood, Girija Kumar decided to try A2 cow ghee (ghee made solely from the milk of desi cows) instead of refined oil to cook her daily meals, on the advice of an Ayurvedic practitioner. Two years later, she is free of her sneezing bouts, runny nose, red itchy watery eyes and swelling around the eyes.

Girija then went on to buy three desi ‘Swarna Kapila’ cows and two ‘Gir’ cows which are raised in her farm on the outskirts of Bengaluru to ensure a daily supply of A2 cow milk and ghee for her family.

Frauds against farmers: Maharashtra mulls setting up independent tribunal

In view of the rising cases of farmers getting cheated while buying seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, the Maharashtra Agriculture Department is examining the proposal of Maharashtra Assembly speaker, Nana Patole, to set up an independent tribunal, which will hold hearings in cheating cases, and an independent authority that will have regulatory powers for the farm sector.

The Indian Constitution, under Article 323B (g), provides powers to the State Legislature to set up tribunals for such disputes, complaints and offences.