CEOs need to accelerate their action plans to safeguard the production of commodities critical to the global population and economy as heat stress and drought risk rise around the world, according to PwC's report, Climate Risks to Nine Key Commodities: Protecting People and Prosperity, published. The report, which analysed nine …
With an aim to introduce the much-awaited Food Security Bill in the monsoon session (July-August) of Parliament, the food ministry has started parleys to bridge the gap between an expert panel appointed by the Prime Minister and the National Advisory Council (NAC). While it wants to ensure smooth supply of …
Continuing his emphasis on the power sector, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot presented the Budget on Wednesday while also stressing on social sectors by announcing that pulses, rice and wheat will now be tax-free. Gehlot, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented a surplus Budget for 2011-12, focusing on rural …
The unbridled manufacture and use of pesticides in Asia is raising the spectre of "pest storms" devastating the region's rice farms and threatening food security, scientists have warned. Increased production of cheap pesticides in China and India, lax regulation and inadequate farmer education are destroying ecosystems around paddies, allowing pests …
NEW DELHI: There is no provision for the proposed National Food Security Bill in the budget proposals for 2011-12. The Bill will necessarily enhance the food subsidy as wheat and rice are to be made available at Rs.2 and Rs.3 a kg to the beneficiaries, but the budget does not …
Farming like any profession requires dedication, understanding, constant learning and application of new ideas and above all a desire to view it as a part of the greater ecosystem. Here is a case of a young farmer who has nurtured his farm with utmost care and sensitivity to the environment.
Salix tetrasperma is commonly called as Indian Willow. In terai zone of West Bengal Salix tetrasperma is seen growing in middle of the pond of many households. During winters when the ponds are dry, the light textured soil does not retain water for long time; the tree bears lush green …
The specter of high commodity prices has recently reemerged, with global food prices registering a new peak in February 2011, triggered mainly by production shortfalls due to bad weather. The 30% hike in international food prices has translated to an average domestic food price inflation in developing Asia of about …
This is based on the author’s Dr K N Shyamasundaran Nair Memorial Lecture delivered on 13 August 2010 at the Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur. Research assistance rendered by Varinder Jain and S Dhanya is gratefully acknowledged. K P Kannan (kannankp123@gmail.com) is with the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram. Changes in …
In an unprecedented election bonanza, the CPM-led government in Kerala on Wednesday decided to give rice at Rs 2 per kg to all families under the public distribution system (PDS). Addressing the media after a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said the Cabinet had ratified the project, which …
Farm Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the government should consider allowing exports of limited quantities of wheat and rice as stocks were good. Pawar also said a ministerial panel on food was likely to clear sale of 5 lakh tonnes of sugar under the Open General Licence (OGL) scheme, …
Punjab and Haryana governments seek to protect farmers from price fluctuations Punjab and Haryana have asked the government to declare a minimum farmgate price for the Pusa 1121 variety of basmati in order to protect farmers from price fluctuations. This is the first time that such a demand has been …
KALPETTA: The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and the Leibniz University at Hanover in Germany will jointly organise a three-year project on value and services of rice fields in Wayanad district. The project is aimed at collecting scientific evidence and formulating policies on rice ecosystem services and values, N. Anilkumar, …
Scientists have developed a new rice variety which they say tastes like white rice but has all the health benefits of the brown. Researchers who refined the milling process to create the special rice said the new variety is good for the heart, helping keep a lid on blood pressure …
There is bad news on the global food front. In an alert issued this week, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that more than two-thirds of China
Burdwan, Feb. 10: The headmistress and a teacher of a primary school in Burdwan have been arrested for allegedly selling off 250kg of rice meant for the midday meal scheme. The matter came to light on Tuesday when two farmers in Gonna village, where the school is situated, saw headmistress …
The Naveen Patnaik Government has made a major course correction in its populist scheme. The rice Rs. 2-a-kg scheme would no longer include a privilege section - the above poverty line (APL) families in the backward KBK region. The privilege section enjoying the largesse included income tax payers, members of …
With expectation of record rice production this year and surplus stocks with Food Corporation of India(FCI), the government on Wednesday allowed exports of three varieties of non-basmati rice mostly grown in southern states. However, exports up to 1.5 lakh tonne of these rice varieties would be allowed. The exports of …
