Agriculture

A one-day workshop on post-harvest management, value addition and entrepreneurship was organised at Pandit Shiv Kumar Shastri Agricultural College and Research Centre, Surgi, on its Foundation Day. The programme focused on equipping farmers, women and rural youth with practical skills in fruit and vegetable processing, packaging, branding and marketing to improve income and create employment opportunities.

The Agriculture Department seized 2,485 bags of fertilizers and raw materials from an allegedly unlicensed manufacturing unit in Rajnandgaon district. Samples have been sent for laboratory testing, and legal action will be initiated after the investigation.

Farmers in Rajnandgaon staged a protest outside Khetan Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited, alleging the factory continued operations despite an administrative closure deadline. Following the demonstration, officials intervened and directed the plant to shut down.

KVK Rajnandgaon has issued a scientific advisory for paddy farmers, recommending timely weed management and herbicide application to minimize yield losses due to the possible impact of El Niño during the kharif season.

The Rajnandgaon Agriculture Department sealed Nitya Krishi Kendra and Ratna Krishi Kendra in Sukuldaihan village after detecting alleged violations of the Insecticides Act, including illegal pesticide storage, unauthorized sales, and missing statutory records. Show-cause notices have been issued to both operators.

The Rajnandgaon Agriculture Department has advised farmers in rainfed and upland areas to replace paddy with alternative crops such as pigeon pea, green gram, black gram, soybean, maize, and cotton. Farmers adopting crop diversification under the PM-AASHA Krishak Unnati Yojana will receive an incentive of ₹15,000 per acre.