Acreage of these crops is likely to fall as prices drop below MSP in mandis; area under cotton, maize may increase on better realisation
'Any new technology, either before or soon after its release, will face severe criticism by one or the other segment of society. It is only after seeing the benefits of new technology for themselves that our farmers accept it.' 'The arable land in India is not increasing and currently hovers at around 140, 145 million hectares.' 'Today, Indian agriculture has to work towards achieving nutritional security.'
Ramie was used in ancient Egypt and China long before cotton was introduced to the Far East.
Monsoon in August was almost 24 per cent below normal, which was the sixth driest August since 1901. It came on the back of a 7-per cent monsoon shortfall in July.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday gifted a Gond art painting, a specimen of Sanjhi art form and a wooden hand-carved box to his fellow Quad leaders from Australia, the US and Japan, sources said.
The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme worth Rs 10,683 crore for textiles sector with an aim to boost domestic manufacturing and exports. The decision was taken in a meeting which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Cabinet "has approved the PLI scheme for textiles for MMF (man-made fibre) apparel, MMF fabrics and ten segments/ products of technical textiles with a budgetary outlay of Rs 10,683 crore," Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters.
The June-September monsoon has so far delivered 1 per cent higher rainfall than average
Monsoon is back in almost all the rain-starved areas of the peninsula, Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. As a result, there has been a dramatic change in the overall kharif crop outlook.
Millions of farmers plant rice, cane, corn, cotton and soybean crops in the rainy months of June and July. Harvesting starts from October
'I will be happy if walls are built between India and China!' 'We are going to nooks and corners of the country to make ordinary people realise the need to buy Indian goods so that our workers get jobs.'
Data from department of agriculture showed that kharif crops had been sown in around 31.56 million hectares till Friday, which was 104.25 per cent more than the same period last year. Acreage of almost all crops was higher than last year.
The overall deficiency in the cumulative monsoon rainfall since the beginning of the season has shrunk from about 46 per cent in the end of June to 24 per cent by July 16. The key agricultural belt of north-western India is still facing about 44 per cent rainfall deficiency, though there have been some welcome showers throughout the region in the past couple of weeks. The north-eastern region is also facing about 40 per cent rain deficieny.
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University will offer seven certificate courses spanning six months, through the Distance Education Mode, from July.
'The spirit of cooperation between the Centre and states has been diluted in many ways.' 'The level of consultation which used to be there earlier has reduced significantly.'
Announcing MSP at an elevated level will not be enough. Growers must be able to procure inputs, such as quality seeds, plant nutrients and irrigation water at reasonable prices, says Kunal Bose.
'Stop wearing clothes which might be trendy, but doesn't go well with your body type.'
Indian companies feel it will be difficult to take on the competition from Bangladesh, Cambodia and others, with their made-in-India products. Ethiopia offers ready-to-use sheds, income tax breaks, training subsidies, and a tax-free gateway into the US, Europe and China. Moreover, labour is available for $60 per month compared to $130-$150 in India.
According to latest data, crops have been sown in around 72.13 million hectares, which is 8.90 per cent less than the same period last year.
China granted bio-safety certificates in 2009 to two pest-resistant GM rice varieties and one type of corn, the first country to allow field trials of GM staple foods.
The weather office forecasts monsoon rains to be above average this year after the droughts ravaged crops and worsened rural distress
Have you heard of the 'chillow' that can cool your pillow? Or the 'bedroom plant'?
Infrastructure stocks are once again gaining traction.
Farming and debt go together in Tamil Nadu's Ariyalur district. There are those who have learnt to live with it and others like Alagar who could not cope with the loss.
The latest forecast, given by Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh, was a downward revision from a previous forecast of 93 per cent given at the outset of the monsoon in June, but was nowhere near as bad some farmers had feared.
By using recycled resources to create earth-friendly gifting options, the venture Surprise Someone is changing the way India smiles.
The Alams saw the magical spot while on a drive to the hills. A few years later they set up home and a small hand woven shawl business, hiring local weavers, using local wool and natural colours made of root, stem and flower.
'At a time when our world has been rattled in ways we have never encountered before, these mornings have been my window into a universe where all that matters is living in the moment,' says Veenu Sandhu.
A report authored by UN's panel of scientists from across the world on climate change and sent to the governments of 197 countries has ominous news on the climate change front.
The study also found that most GM foods did not disclose the fact on the label. "A few also made false claims of being GM-free," the study by CSE said.
The locusts initially entered Rajasthan from Pakistan and from there the swarms moved towards Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab over the last few weeks and are now threatening to enter Uttar Pradesh, putting at risk the summer crop.
BMS, BKS and SJM are trying to forge common cause with outfits on the other side of the ideological divide over the government's policies they are not in agreement with.
'Surprisingly, the most frequent of the walking squads are the Auntyjis, those you'd hardly credit with such dedication.' 'Yet, they're always present and the sprightliest of the lot in their salwar suits and saris,' says Kishore Singh.
A fascinating glimpse of the Mughal emperor, courtesy Parvati Sharma's new book Jahangir: An Intimate Portrait Of A Great Mughal.
Globally, just 8 billionaires have same amount of wealth as the poorest 50% of the world population.
'Some farmers know when elections are due.' 'Before that, they take loans.' 'They then ask their farmer unions for loan waivers and the political party who shouts first about a loan waiver (gets the votes).'
Two young dhaakad designers tell us why they want to dress up the First Lady of Bollywood.
The Gujarat government believe it can usefully utilise its 1,600-km coast for cultivating more coconuts in the coming years.
Modi government is pushing GM food crops without adequate safety assessment and transparency, claim activists.
'The Cauvery is not dependable as Karnataka will never consider our needs.'
