Budapest: Hungary has joined Poland in banning the import of grain and other food products from Ukraine, in an effort to protect its domestic farming industry, according to official sources.
The ban, which was announced by the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture late Saturday night, is temporary and will last until June 30. Ukrainian grain exports have been forced to take alternate routes through the European Union (EU) since Russia blocked access to the Black Sea, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Minister of Agriculture Istvan Nagy took to Facebook to announce the ban, saying that the Hungarian government is committed to representing the interests of its farming community.
The ministry’s statement said that in the absence of meaningful EU measures, Hungary is temporarily prohibiting the importation of grain, oilseeds, and several other agricultural products from Ukraine, similar to Poland.
Poland announced its own temporary ban on several Ukrainian foodstuffs on Saturday, following protests by Polish farmers.
The Hungarian ministry explained that the continuation of the current domestic market processes would cause serious damage to Hungarian agriculture, so “extraordinary measures must be put in place to hinder them.”
The statement also cited cheap production practices not allowed in the EU, as well as duty-free and free trade opportunities, which have allowed large quantities of Ukrainian poultry, eggs, and honey to enter the European market, making it difficult for domestic and Central European farmers to compete.
Hyderabad: Nalgonda MP and senior Congress leader N Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed strong concerns about the ‘unfulfilled’ promises made by the BRS government and the BJP-led Central government towards Telangana’s farmers.
He was speaking to media persons after inaugurating the Paddy Procurement Centre of Singaram Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society in the Huzurnagar constituency on Wednesday.
Uttam Kumar Reddy took both governments to task for failing to deliver on assurances such as a Rs 1 lakh loan waiver and a crop insurance scheme for Telangana farmers. He voiced his disappointment over the unpaid Rythu Bandhu dues for farmers with holdings above 10 acres and Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s (KCR) ‘forgotten promise’ of free fertilisers.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2016 promise to double farmers’ income by 2022 has fallen significantly short of expectations. Not only has the income failed to double, but when taking inflation into account, farmers’ income has actually decreased,” he said.
The Congress MP alleged that the Modi government has further burdened farmers by imposing GST on agricultural equipment and input materials. Additionally, despite falling international crude prices, the price of diesel has increased by over 60%, adding to farmers’ woes, he said.
“Initially, the goal was to increase farmers’ household incomes from an average of Rs 8,050 per month in 2015-16 to Rs 21,146 by 2022. Unfortunately, the country is far from reaching this target, and many farmers claim that farming has become unprofitable in the current situation,” he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy argued that the BRS government’s inability to waive off crop loans up to Rs. 1 lakh has left most farmers unable to secure fresh loans from banks. He pointed out that, despite knowing from 2014-2018 that crop loan waiver schemes do not benefit farmers if divided into different phases, the BRS government repeated the act, splitting it into six to eight phases. So far, Reddy said, crop loans up to Rs. 35,000 have been waived.
“At this pace, it would take the BRS government another five years to completely waive off the remaining loans,” he added.
The MP added that more than 8,000 farmers have committed suicide since 2014, with fewer than 80 receiving compensation under GO 421. Reddy dismissed the Rythu Bandhu scheme as ‘mere hype’, asserting that the Rs. 5,000 per acre support provided does not genuinely aid farmers.
Uttam Kumar Reddy lambasted both the BRS government in Telangana and the BJP government at the Centre for ‘neglecting’ over one lakh farmers affected by recent unseasonal rains.
“While chief minister KCR announced a compensation of Rs. 10,000 per acre, he contested that the relief package lacked a scientific basis, as it was declared without official teams surveying the damaged areas and providing a final report on crop losses,” he said.
He emphasized that compensation should account for cultivation costs, yield per acre, and income for different crops, such as paddy, maize, and mango. “It has been more than three weeks since rains and floods damaged crops spread over lakhs of acres of land. Where is the report about the enumeration of losses?” he asked.
The MP accused KCR of using the compensation to mask the absence of a crop insurance scheme in Telangana, which would have offered affected farmers a more substantial relief package. He divulged that a majority of affected farmers are still awaiting their Rs 10,000 compensation. He also claimed that the BRS government has not requested compensation from the Centre for the thousands of crores in crop losses suffered by farmers over the past nine years.
Uttam challenged the chief minister to disclose the reports of crop losses submitted to the Centre in the last nine years.
Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that both BRS and BJP leaders are engaging in the game of allegations and counter-allegations only to keep the people’s attention ‘diverted from their failures’. However, he said that the Congress party would continue to raise the voice of common people under all circumstances.
Ukraine’s farmers played an iconic role in the first weeks of Russia’s invasion, towing away abandoned enemy tanks with their tractors.
Now, though, their prodigious grain output is causing some of Ukraine’s staunchest allies to waver, as disrupted shipments are redirected onto neighboring markets.
The most striking is Poland, which has played a leading role so far in supporting Ukraine, acting as the main transit hub for Western weaponry and sending plenty of its own. But grain shipments in the other direction have irked Polish farmers who are being undercut — just months before a national election where the rural vote will be crucial.
Diplomats are floundering. After a planned Friday meeting between the Polish and Ukrainian agriculture ministers was postponed, the Polish government on Saturday announced a ban on imports of farm products from Ukraine. Hungary late Saturday said it would do the same.
Ukraine is among the world’s top exporters of wheat and other grains, which are ordinarily shipped to markets as distant as Egypt and Pakistan. Russia’s invasion last year disrupted the main Black Sea export route, and a United Nations-brokered deal to lift the blockade has been only partially effective. In consequence, Ukrainian produce has been diverted to bordering EU countries: Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
At first, those governments supported EU plans to shift the surplus grain. But instead of transiting seamlessly onto global markets, the supply glut has depressed prices in Europe. Farmers have risen up in protest, and Polish Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk was forced out earlier this month.
Now, governments’ focus has shifted to restricting Ukrainian imports to protect their own markets. After hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Warsaw in early April, Polish President Andrzej Duda said resolving the import glut was “a matter of introducing additional restrictions.”
The following day, Poland suspended imports of Ukrainian grain, saying the idea had come from Kyiv. On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, after an emergency cabinet meeting, said the import ban would cover grain and certain other farm products and would include products intended for other countries. A few hours later, the Hungarian government announced similar measures. Both countries said the bans would last until the end of June.
The European Commission is seeking further information on the import restrictions from Warsaw and Budapest “to be able to assess the measures,” according to a statement on Sunday. “Trade policy is of EU exclusive competence and, therefore, unilateral actions are not acceptable,” it said.
While the EU’s free-trade agreement with Ukraine prevents governments from introducing tariffs, they still have plenty of tools available to disrupt shipments.
Neighboring countries and nearby Bulgaria have stepped up sanitary checks on Ukrainian grain, arguing they are doing so to protect the health of their own citizens. They have also requested financial support from Brussels and have already received more than €50 million from the EU’s agricultural crisis reserve, with more money on the way.
Restrictions could do further harm to Ukraine’s battered economy, and by extension its war effort. The economy has shrunk by 29.1 percent since the invasion, according to statistics released this month, and agricultural exports are an important source of revenue.
Cracks in the alliance
The trade tensions sit at odds with these countries’ political position on Ukraine, which — with the exception of Hungary — has been strongly supportive. Poland has taken in millions of Ukrainian refugees, while weapons and ammunition flow in the opposite direction; Romania has helped transport millions of tons of Ukrainian corn and wheat.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki | Omar Marques/Getty Images
Some Western European governments, which had to be goaded by Poland and others into sending heavy weaponry to Kyiv, are quick to point out the change in direction.
“Curious to see that some of these countries are [always] asking for more on sanctions, more on ammunition, etc. But when it affects them, they turn to Brussels begging for financial support,” said one diplomat from a Western country, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Some EU countries also oppose the import restrictions for economic reasons. For instance, Spain and the Netherlands are some of the biggest recipients of Ukrainian grain, which they use to supply their livestock industries.
Politically, though, the Central and Eastern European governments have limited room for maneuver. Poland and Slovakia are both heading into general elections later this year. Bulgaria has had a caretaker government since last year. Romania’s agriculture minister has faced calls to resign, including from a compatriot former EU agriculture commissioner.
And farmers are a strong constituency. Poland’s right-wing Law & Justice (PiS) party won the last general election in 2019 thanks in large part to rural voters. The Ukrainian grain issue has already cost a Polish agriculture minister his job; the government as a whole will have to tread carefully to avoid the same fate.
This article has been updated.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )
Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare Department, Jammu Selection Lists
Selection list of candidates for the post of Junior Assistant in Agriculture Production & Farmer’s Welfare Department, Jammu.
Ref : i) Communication No. JKSSB-PLAN/25/2022-23 dated 08.03.2023 of J&K SSB.
ii) Communication No. Agri-Cord/6/2023 (CC 7191749) dated 24.03.2023 of Administrative Department
The following candidates who have been recommended by the J&K SSB for the post of Junior Assistant in Agriculture Production & Farmer’s Welfare Department, Jammu are hereby informed to submit their valid”Mobile Number and E-mail Address”to the Directorate of Agriculture, KishiBhawanGolePullyTalabTillo, Jammu within a period of 07 days from the date of issuance of this notice for generation of their user ID & Password on Employee Verification System (EVS) Portal.
Candidate(s) who fail to submit their “Mobile Number and E-mail Address”within the stipulated time of 07 days, it shall be presumed that they are not willing to opt appointment as Junior Assistant in Agriculture Production & Farmer’s Welfare Department.
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Chief minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot. (Photo: IANS)
Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved a financial proposal of Rs 736 crore for interest-free crop loans to the farmers of the state.
According to a statement, the chief minister has approved a grant of Rs 560 crore for farmers under interest-free crop loan subsidy scheme and Rs 176 crore under compensatory interest subsidy scheme.
According to the statement, a five percent interest subsidy will be given to the farmers who repay the longterm agriculture cooperative loan on time. Gehlot has approved the grant proposal. He has also allowed permission to give subsidy on housing loans to the farmers who have built houses on their farms.
Under this, the farmers who have repaid their long-term agricultural cooperative loans on time from April 1, 2014 will get a five percent interest subsidy every year from the state government.
Along with this, from the financial year 2023-24, a five percent interest subsidy will be given every year to the farmers who have taken housing loans to build houses on their farms.
In the budget 2023-24, Gehlot had made announcement about interest-free crop loan distribution scheme and interest subsidy for farmers.
According to another decision, the state government will provide 35,000 quintals of high quality seeds free of cost to more than 1.25 lakh farmers of the state at a cost of Rs 15 crore.
Srinagar, Mar 29: The farmers across Kashmir are expecting better income this year as mustard fields are in full bloom with tourists enjoying to the fullest in the yellow fields.
Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the farmers from various areas of the valley said that this year the weather conditions remained favourable for mustard in winter due to which there is a better crop, and that they expect a better yield as well.
Mohammad Shaban a farmer from the Qazigund area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, said while there was less snowfall in the plains this year, however, the timely rains helped mustard crops to grow well.
“The mustard seeds provided by the Agriculture Department have grown well than our traditional seeds and we expect good income this year,” he said.
Farmers from other districts shared similar views and said they expect a good yield this year.
Director Agriculture Kashmir, Mohammad Iqbal Choudhary told KNO that some years ago, most people were not sowing anything on their land but after taking different parameters into consideration, most of the land was found favourable for the cultivation of mustard.
“As the Government of India started oil seed mission, we wrote to the Centre that we want to be part of it, following which they provided us with around 1,800 quintal seeds,” Iqbal said, adding that the land under mustard was increased from 3,000 hectares to 1,40,000 hectare in the last two years.
“Mustard crop has turned the valley into yellow colour. Tourists travelling to Kashmir Valley are also enjoying the mustard bloom from Qazigund to Srinagar along the Jammu Srinagar National Highway,” the Director Agriculture said.
Choudhary said also said the seeds provided by the Agriculture Department have doubled the yield of farmers and increased their income.
Nanded: Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief K Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday in Maharashtra said that State’s farmers should be given Rs 10,000 per acre for investment along with free electricity round the clock.
While addressing a gathering at Maharashtra’s Nanded, BRS supremo said, “farmers should be given Rs 10,000 per acre for investment along with 24 hours free electricity. In case of any unfortunate death of a farmer, he should be given insurance of Rs 5 lakhs. Like Telangana, govt should buy the produce of farmers by opening centres here too.”
Earlier on Thursday, CM KCR announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre for farmers of Telangana, who lost their crops due to recent unseasonal rains and hailstorms.
He had also visited rain-affected areas in a few districts of the state and assured the farmers of financial assistance for cross losses.
CM KCR while addressing the Ramapuram village of Khammam district on Thursday, said, “Due to the rains, there was a loss of 2,28,250 acres of crops throughout the state. Out of this, maize crops suffered the maximum damage of 1,29,446 acres. As per the central government norms, they won’t get much money. In the Telangana government, along with putting in big investments and completing the pending and new projects, we are implementing farmer support schemes that are not there anywhere else in the world. With it, the farmers are also getting stable and coming out of their debts. Despite that, they are some fools who say that we won’t get anything from agriculture. Today Telangana is first in per capita income in the country. We have the highest per capita income, more than Maharashtra. In the GSDP growth rate, farming plays a vital role.”
“Farmers don’t have to feel bad about it as the government is with you”, he said assuring support to the farmers.
“After BRS was formed we have been saying that India requires a total integrated agricultural policy. For funds, we have to write a report to the Centre and we don’t know when they will give it. We don’t want to depend on the Centre as it takes six months to respond,” said the BRS chief.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said that Kashmiri farmers were spreading the fragrance of their success.
In his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the PM talked about the farmers who had shifted towards growing lavender and the benefits they were receiving through the government’s aroma scheme.
“Another effort by the Kashmiri farmers is spreading the fragrance of its success. There is a small town Bhaderwah in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. The farmers there traditionally used to grow maize, but some farmers decided to do something innovative. They shifted towards floriculture. Under this, around 2500 farmers are growing lavender. They have also benefitted from the aroma scheme of the government. This has increased their income several times. And today, along with the lavender, the fragrance of their success is also spreading,” he said.
The PM pointed out the rising demand for lotus stems in Kashmir known by local name ‘Nadru’.
“Whenever we talk about Kashmir or Srinagar, the pictures of the mountains and Dal Lake come in front of us. We all want to enjoy the scenic beauty, but there is one more speciality attached to it. Dal Lake is also known for its delicious lotus stems. They are known by different names in the country, and in Kashmir, they are referred to as Nadru,” he said.
The PM said that looking at the rising demand for Nadru, the farmers had created a Farmers Producer Organisation (FPO), and 250 farmers had become a part of it.
“Today, the farmers are able to export the produce of FPOs to foreign countries. Recently, they sent two sets to UAE. This is not just taking up the name of Kashmir, but also increasing the income of the farmers,” he said.
The PM also paid tribute to the woman power.
“This is the time of Navratri, the time to worship Shakti. Today, the potential of India which is emerging from a new perspective, our woman power has a very big role in it. Recently, many such examples have emerged before us. You must have seen Asia’s first female loco pilot Surekha Yadav on social media. Surekha ji, setting another record, has also become the first woman loco pilot of Vande Bharat Express as well,” he said.
Referring to film producer Guneet Monga, whose documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ won the Oscar award earlier this month, the PM said, “This month producer Guneet Monga and director Kartiki Gonsalves brought laurels to the country by winning an Oscar for their documentary, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’.
“Sister Jyotirmayi Mohanty, Scientist of Bhabha Atomic Research Center has also notched another achievement for the country. Jyotirmoyee has received a special award from IUPAC in the field of chemistry and chemical engineering. Earlier this year, India’s Under-19 women’s cricket team created history by winning the T-20 World Cup.”
Referring to women in politics, he said, “If you look at politics, a new beginning has taken place in Nagaland. In Nagaland, for the first time in 75 years, two women legislators have reached the Vidhan Sabha through their victory. One of them has also been made a minister in the Government of Nagaland, that is, for the first time the people of the state have also got a woman minister.”
The PM also mentioned women members of the NDRF contingent, which had gone for relief and rehabilitation work in quake-hit Turkey. “India has also deployed a women-only platoon in the peacekeeping force under the UN mission,” he said. The PM also referred to Group Captain Shalija Dhami, the first woman Air Force officer to get a Command Appointment in a Combat Unit. He also mentioned Captain Shiva Chauhan of the Indian Army, the first woman officer to be posted at Siachen. The PM also highlighted the importance of organ donation and solar energy in his broadcast.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Thursday announced compensation for farmers who suffered crop losses over unseasonal rains this March. However, the decision has not brought pleasure to all farmers of the state.
Responding to yesterday’s announcement by the chief minister over disaster relief assistance to farmers, Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) organized a press meet at Somajiguda press club, with flood-affected farmers and Tenant farmers from 4 districts describing their situation and response to the CM’s announcement.
RSV welcomed the government’s decision to provide Rs 10,000 per acre support for crop damage in 2.2 lakh acres during March 2023, and to direct the support to tenant farmers wherever they are cultivating.
However, RSV activists said, “If the government is serious about addressing the issues on an ongoing basis, this support should not remain a one-time exercise for the damage caused in this month, but made into a policy decision. Lakhs of acres of crop damage is being suffered every season by farmers due to natural calamities or pest attacks.”
They urged the Telangana government to announce a policy decision to give Rs 10,000 per acre support to all affected farmers and enumerate affected farmers immediately after the calamity in a routine manner – “not related to political developments.”
“The identification and inclusion of tenant farmers should not be a one-time measure, but it should be done every year, as required by the Licensed Cultivators Act, 2011. Only then, the distress of the farmers in the state will be addressed,” they added.
Two flood-affected farmers from Kupti village, Neredigonda Mandal, Adilabad district, Badha Venkataramana and Haridas Ramanayya shared their situation.
Venakataramana said, “More than 50 farmers in our village suffered severe crop damage during the heavy rains and floods of July 2022. We are asking the Chief Minister – you should give disaster relief support to us too! I cultivated 5 acres of leased land and 5 acres of own land, and completely lost my cotton and soybean crops.”
He stated that officials visited and noted the details but the farmers did not receive any compensation. Along with other farmers in the district, they filed a writ petition in the High Court. “But the government is claiming that our crops recovered magically within a week, whereas our lands remained water-logged for almost 2 months due to flooding,” they said.
RSV activists informed that the court hearings are still ongoing, and demanded that the government should extend the same support to these farmers also.
Kurva Manjula, from Thondapalli village, Parigi Mandal, Vikarabad district stated, “My husband was a tenant farmer who committed suicide on March 1, 2021. We used to lease 5.5 acres of land and cultivate, but we suffered severe crop loss in 2020 and 2021 due to heavy rains and flooding. Due to this, we could not repay high debt of Rs 7 lakhs and my husband lost hope and committed suicide,” she stated narrating her ordeal.
“We did not receive Rythu Bima because we are tenant farmers, nor did we get any ex-gratia from the government. I am struggling with 3 young children, and am still a tenant cultivator, trying to repay the debts.”
She demanded that the government provide ex-gratia of Rs 6 lakhs to victims like her, and also identify the tenant farmers every year and give them LEC cards so that they can also benefit from government schemes and support systems.
Three other tenant farmers participated, who suffered severe crop damage in the past 3 years. Durga Reddy from Dattaipalli village and Balayya from Velpalli village in M.Turkapally mandal, Yadadri district; and Kusuma Samdram Ramesh from Madharam village, Parigi mandal, Vikarabad district.
Key facts on the Crop Damage issue and Tenant Farmers identification
Telangana is the only state in the country which doesn’t have any Crop Insurance scheme for the last 3 years since 2020. At the same time, the Telangana government has not been providing Disaster relief support by input subsidy as required by National Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Lakhs of acres of crop damage is happening every year due to natural calamities, but since the past 6 years, the Telangana government has not provided disaster relief support. Only when RSV activists filed High Court petition, the government disbursed Rs.23 crores disaster relief in 2018.
RSV has been fighting a legal battle through PIL filed in Telangana High Court in November 2020 (W.P. PIL No. 290/2020) regarding crop damage due to heavy rains and floods of October 2020. Despite historic judgment in September 2021, the Government has not distributed relief, and instead appealed in Supreme Court. There was severe crop damage in 15 lakh acres, as per Govt of Telangana’s final assessment report sent to the Centre requesting relief support of Rs.552 crores. The Disaster Management Authority at the Centre gave approval for Rs.188 crores from NDRF/SDRF in February 2021, but even these relief funds have so far not been disbursed.
Severe crop damage happened in 2021 and 2022 also due to flooding, heavy rainstorms, Kaleswaram backwaters, hailstorms, and pest attack. Just a few months ago, in July 2022, lakhs of acres were damaged along in heavy rains in many districts along the Godavari river. Several Writ Petitions were filed in High Court by affected farmers demanding compensation but so far the Government has been denying any responsibility to provide disaster relief support.
The Licensed Cultivators Act, 2011 requires the State government to identify Tenant Farmers through a simple application and gram sabha verification, and issue Loan Eligibility Cards (LEC) which make them eligible for all government schemes. However, after 2016-17, the Government has not been implementing this Act – which gives a regular process to identify tenant cultivators.
Demands:
a. TS Government should announce policy decisions on Rs 10,000 per acre disaster relief support for crop damage and inclusion of tenant farmers, for all calamities in recent years and in the future.
b. Disaster relief support should be provided to affected farmers of the last 3 years.
c. Effective & Farmer-friendly Crop Insurance scheme should be implemented in TS state, releasing the Notification by May 1, 2023, so that it comes into effect immediately for Kharif 2023.
d. Tenant Farmers should be identified every year, as per Licensed Cultivators Act 2011, provided LEC cards, and given the benefit of all government schemes & support systems including crop loans. Tenant farmers should be noted in the E-crop booking system also.
Hyderabad: Accusing the chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao of being indifferent to crop damage, Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Thursday slammed him for offering only Rs 10,000 per acre as compensation to farmers.
Bandi Sanjay held that the CM should report to the Centre about the crop damage instead of blaming it.
KCR, on the other hand, criticised the BJP-led Central government for showing little concern for farmers and waging political wars while he was conducting an aerial survey of the four rain-affected districts of the state on Thursday to aid financial assistance to farmers whose crops were damaged by unseasonal rains and hailstorms last week.
Puzzled over no visit paid by agriculture or revenue officials to the damaged site, Bandi Sanjay questioned the assessment of crop damage only in 2.22 lakh acres of land and not anywhere else.
The BJP chief further claimed that if the Centre’s ‘Fasal Bima Yojana’ had been implemented in the state then farmers would have received compensation for crop loss.
“However, the CM did not implement the scheme in Telangana for fear of Centre getting the credit,” asserted Bandi Sanjay.
“The amount offered by CM is insufficient. It will not even cover their investment costs. It’s a shame to say that financial assistance would be extremely beneficial,” Sanjay said in a statement.
Bandi Sanjay further said, “It was only because of BJP’s continuous campaigns that KCR was forced to step out of Pragathi Bhavan and his farmhouse to visit fields.”
