Indian Agriculture

NEW DELHI: Agriculture and allied sectors grew by 2.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2010-11 fiscal, higher than 1.9 per cent in the same period last year. In 2009-10 fiscal, the agriculture and allied sector had recorded the lowest growth in five years, at 0.2 per cent, due to widespread drought that affected [...]

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has launched a three-year pilot project in six districts of Tamil Nadu to make agriculture more viable by reducing inputs and labour costs while increasing productivity. Implemented in collaboration with the State Government, non-governmental organisations and the local community, the project would focus on major crops [...]

LUDHIANA: “Those involved in agricultural research, agriculture teaching and transfer of technology are doing noble work,” said Dr CD Mayee, chairman, Agricultural Service Recruitment Board ( ASRB), New Delhi. He said this while delivering a talk on “Employment avenues in agricultural research services” to the students and faculty of Punjab Agricultural University on Friday. The [...]

The kharif acreage has exceeded the last year’s level by 78.93 lakh hectares. The Crop and Weather Watch Group in the Ministry of Agriculture, at its meeting on Friday, noted that the crops were so far sown in 950.22 lakh hectares as against 871.29 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year. As per the [...]

It was a bloody Independence Day in several villages of Uttar Pradesh. Hundreds of farmers fought pitched battles with the state police over poor compensation for land acquired for the Yamuna Expressway — chief minister Mayawati’s prestige highway project. At least three farmers were killed in police firing while an officer of the Provincial Armed [...]

The agriculture sector had a difficult first six months this year, its growth slowed by 2.59 percent because of the El Niño-induced dry spell. Despite the sector’s slowdown, farmers and fishers were better off because of higher prices they got for their products during the first six months, with farm gate prices registering an average [...]

The high-value agricultural segment, comprising livestock and fisheries, has to show higher growth for the farm sector to expand at a faster pace, the Planning Commission has said. The 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-2012) had set an average agricultural growth target of 4 per cent. However, the mid-term appraisal of the plan acknowledges that the average [...]

The faculty of Uttar Pradesh’s oldest research institute Chandra Shekhar Azad University for Agriculture is working without pay for the last two months. “It is true that for the last two months, the professors, scientists and other staff are working without pay.. The university is facing a fund crunch,” Prof Tiwari, vice chancellor, CSA Agriculture [...]

Tamil Nadu is preparing a suitable agricultural strategy based on the application of biotechnology and information technology to meet the challenges posed by climate change, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said on Saturday. “Tamil Nadu will have to be prepared to face challenges like higher average mean temperature, adverse change in rainfall and a rise in [...]

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Union planning commission, on Saturday held state governments responsible for failure to achieve an annual four per cent growth in agriculture during the ongoing 11th five-year plan period. He, however, said the Commission was happy that by the end of the current plan period (2012), the agriculture growth [...]

India could achieve a record rice production of 100 million tonnes in 2010-11 crop year on the back of better monsoon this year, a top agriculture ministry official said on Friday. The country’s rice production declined to 89.13 million tonnes in 2009-10 crop year (July-June) from record 99.18 million tonnes in the previous year due [...]

NEW DELHI: At a time when agriculture production has become key to economic expansion, the Union Cabinet on Friday will consider a proposal to fulfill its promise of crop loans at a cheaper rate of 5% to farmers who make timely repayment. In the current year’s budget, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had proposed to give [...]

NEW DELHI: India needs to focus on improving farm technology and creating an efficient water management system to achieve the targetted four per cent growth in the agriculture sector, a top agriculture Ministry official said on Tuesday. “If agriculture has to grow at four per cent, the focus will have to be on technology infusion, [...]

Ernakulam: Self help is the best help. That’s the new mantra in Kerala. With food prices hitting the roof, God’s own country, Kerala, has decided to revive its agricultural sector and end its decade-long dependence on neighbouring states. So is this the beginning of a new green revolution in Kerala? Determined to find a solution [...]

olkata: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar came together in Kolkata to initiate a green revolution in the eastern states of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and eastern UP. Their initial budget is Rs 400 core and their model: China. In China, one hectare of land yields 6.6 tonnes of rice while in [...]

Organic agriculture in the country has grown from 42,000 hectares in 2003-04 to 10.5 lakh ha, according to initial estimates for 2009-10. Out of this, nearly 7.5 lakh ha are fully certified while the remaining 3 lakh ha are under various stages of conversion, minister of agriculture, consumer affairs, food and public distribution Sharad Pawar [...]

Boosted by the revival of monsoon rains, the fertilizer sector had been buzzing the whole of Monday. On Tuesday too, most of the fertilizer majors were trading in a high range on the back of the news of existing fertilizer policy, NPS III, being altered. The government will now bring NPS IV, a note for which is [...]