Back make in India with testing in India
People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health … and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food,” was the caustic observation of American writer and environmentalist Wendell Berry. While this critiques the organised medical profession’s inattention to nutrition and the role of the food industry,…
Why Farmers Are Standing Up Against Free Trade
My mom stood next to my grandfather, both crying as he emptied the bulk tank and dumped his milk in protest. It was the 1960s, and dairy farmers in Wisconsin and elsewhere who were members of the National Farmers Organization (NFO) were destroying their milk to cause shortages in supply chains and improve prices. They were desperate,…
Green and Dry fodder Demand may reach 1,012 and 631 mil tonnes by 2050
INDIA’s achievement of transforming itself from a milk-deficient country to the world’s largest milk producer has been exemplary. With a stock of over 136 million female bovines producing about 230 million tonnes of milk in 2022-23, the Indian dairy sector exhibits strong growth potential. However, poor productivity of Indian milch cattle is a major cause…
Time for consumers to stand in solidarity with dairy farmers-Devinder Sharma
WHAT began as a small effort to help French dairy farmers overcome distress has galvanised into a unique consumer movement, slowly spreading its wings globally. While ensuring that the agri-food industry works towards a healthy transformation leading to sustainable and regenerative farming systems, French food cooperative brand C’est qui le Patron (‘Who’s the Boss?’) has…
Household income of small farmers from livestock increased to 16% : ICRIER study
Potential for increasing farmers’ incomes lies primarily in moving towards animal husbandry and pisciculture, finds a study led by prominent agricultural economist Ashok Gulati and three other researchers. Titled “New Deal for Agriculture for Viksit Bharat@2047”, the study, which was published by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) earlier this month, recommends five…
Cow methane emissions are reduced by 15% with balanced diet -NDDB report
Abinaya Tamilarasu said her four cows are part of the family. She has a degree in commerce from a local college, but prefers being home milking cows and tending to her family’s land. “Our family cannot let farming go, it’s a way of life for us,” said the 28-year-old, who lives on her family farm…
Infocus Agriculture Livestock Sector: Focus on Bhadawari buffalo for climate-resilient dairying
BP Kushwaha and Bishwa Bhaskar Choudhary INDIA, with its diverse climatic conditions and agricultural practices, has long relied on the livestock sector for sustenance and economic stability. However, around 70 per cent of the dairy animals are owned by marginal and small farmers. Buffalo farming is an important component of the sector, constituting around 21…
West Bengal with only 2% power consumption creates 40% more agri-value than Punjab
Let us start with a simple question: which state do you think is most productive in terms of value creation in agriculture on per hectare (ha) basis? If Punjab comes to your mind, you could be very much off the mark. Punjab, known for its high physical productivity of rice and wheat, falls at number…
PM launches ‘Bharat Pashudhan’-for livestock traceability
The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation ‘Bharat Pashudhan’ – a digital database for livestock animals in the country. Developed under the National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM), ‘Bharat Pashudhan’ utilizes a unique 12-digit Tag ID allocated to each livestock animal. Under the project, out of an estimated 30.5 crore bovines, about 29.6 crore have already…
How to bring about White Revolution 2.0
The new NSSO data reveals that milk is the food item Indians are spending the most on. To sustain high consumer demand and ensure a good income for farmers, focus needs to shift from hiking procurement prices to lowering production costs at the farm-gate. Based on the most recent Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) for 2022-23, milk has…