Draft Seeds Bill, 2019
The revised draft Seeds Bill 2019, which the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare placed in the public domain recently for suggestions and comments, seems to be a watered down version of a draft
Seeds
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Insect pollinated crops, insect pollinators and US agriculture: Trend analysis of aggregate data for the period 1992–2009
In the US, the cultivated area (hectares) and production (tonnes) of crops that require or benefit from insect pollination (directly dependent crops: apples, almonds, blueberries, cucurbits, etc.) increased
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Minister for increasing production of certified seeds to augment agricultural production
Cooperative Minister Shri Gaurishankar Bisen has directed that maximum quantity of certified seeds should be made available to farmers with a view to increasing agricultural production. Shri Bisen was
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Agricultural scientists urged to develop new crop varieties
Agriculture scientists will be encouraged to develop new crop varieties to enhance the production of all crops meanwhile sale of unapproved seeds will not be accepted. Strict action will be taken against
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White House Enlists 45 Companies to Invest in Food Production for the World’s Poor
The Obama administration has drafted some of the world’s largest food and finance companies to invest more than $3 billion in projects aimed at helping the world’s poorest farmers grow enough food to not
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Rural fish farming project aims big catch!
KOCHI: The ambitious ‘Matsya Samrudhi’ project, mooted in a bid to shore up fish production levels in the rural belts of the state, will be launched in June this year. The state government-sponsored project will jointly be implemented by the Fish Farmers Development Agency, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and the Agency for the Development of Aquaculture Kerala (ADAK). The `195-crore project targets to increase the production by one lakh tonnes within a period of three years. The project is expected to make the state coffer richer by `481.5 crore.
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Central team finds drought alarming in Chitradurga
The Central team touring the State to assess the drought situation has concluded that the drought in Chitradurga district is severe. A member of the team, D Rajashekar, Deputy Advisor, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, New Delhi, told mediapersons in Chitradurga on Tuesday that the water table had depleted and borewells have dried up. The team will recommend to the Centre in its report to roll out development schemes to alleviate the sufferings of the drought-affected, he said. He commended the officials for the drought-relief works taken up in the district.
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Bt-cotton: the 'five-percent issue' may add misery to the mixed bag
The subject of the ‘mixed bag’, which proposes non-Bt-cotton seeds be mixed with Bt-cotton seeds in the same bag, has raised an interesting debate in this journal. It was flagged by Hanur, who recommended
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GM crops need of the hour, say experts
Genetically Modified (GM) seeds are the need of the hour to bolster farm production in the face of rising demand, and a way to match productivity of countries such as China and Vietnam, according to food scientists and experts here. With GM crops seen with suspicion by most, the scientists said there is an inherent lack of awareness about its advantages among people. Emphasising the need to adopt technical know-how, Dr N. Sesikiran, director, National Institute of Nutrition, said, “Nature has evolved by continuous genetic modification.
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Bt-cotton: the ‘five-percent issue’ may add misery to the mixed bag
The subject of the ‘mixed bag’, which proposes non-Bt-cotton seeds be mixed with Bt-cotton seeds in the same bag, has raised an interesting debate in this journal. It was flagged by Hanur, who recommended
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Rush for Bt cotton seeds leads to chaos in Haveri district
Tension prevailed at some places in Haveri district on Tuesday, due to protests and stampede during distribution of Bt cotton seeds. Farmers break barricades in a bid to collect seeds from an outlet of Bt cotton seeds company in Haveri district on Tuesday. The increase in demand for the ‘Kanaka’ variety of seeds and shortage of supply led to the rush. In Haveri city, police resorted to mild lathicharge as around 12,000 farmers fell over each other to collect the seeds.