Agriculture Current Affair 22 April 2020

Gujarat to begin wheat purchases on Apr 27

Output seen at 40 lakh tonnes, 67% higher than last year
In a major relief for the wheat growers in Gujarat, the State government on Tuesday announced commencement of wheat procurement from April 27.

Purchases will begin on April 27 and has to be completed by May 30. However, the State government has not set any target on the quantity to be procured, but it has asked farmers to register for the process by May 10.

“Wheat procurement will be done through the godowns of State Civil Supplies Corporation. The registration process will be conducted between April 27 and May 10 and the procurement process is to be competed by May 30,” said Ashwani Kumar, Secretary to the Chief Minister, during a briefing. The procured wheat will be stored in 219 godowns of the Civil Supplies Corporation.

Treat seed sector on par with agriculture: NSAI to Agri Ministry

The National Seed Association of India (NSAI) on Tuesday asked the government to treat loans given to the seed sector at par with agriculture, and also make available adequate low-interest working capital and soft loans for building infrastructure and investment in research and development.

In a letter to the Agriculture Ministry, NSAI president M Prabhakar Rao also urged the government to provide 25 per cent capital subsidy on seed infrastructure investment, and said 100 per cent FDI should not be allowed in seed sector, much like the restriction placed by countries like China.