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 …
staple switch: The Sri Lankan government is now busy promoting the country's own staple food among its people. It feels that Sri Lankans are getting used to consuming large amounts of imported wheat flour, although rice is their staple food. As a result, the country's paddy farmers cannot sell their …
IN this past month, farmer associations in Haryana and Tamil Nadu have located and burnt field trials for genetically modified Bt rice. In Chhattisgarh the state government has stopped similar trials happening under its nose. It is all too easy to deride these actions as the handiwork of some misinformed …
• Annual rice production falls short of demand by 50 million tonnes. Annual growth in rice yield declined from 2.5 per cent during the green revolution (1960-70) to 1.1 per cent since 1980s, while global population grew by 1.4 per cent • 90 per cent of rice is cultivated in …
ON the surface, it was a typical fortnight in India's debate on genetically modified (gm) crops. Right after the International Rice Congress in Delhi promoted the benefits of transgenic rice, a plot of Bt rice was burnt in Haryana amid biosafety fears, and a complaint was registered in eastern Uttar …
On November 5, 2006, activists of the Bharat Kisan Union alleged violation of biosafety regulations in a field where trials of Bt rice were being carried out in Rudrapur village of Gorakhpur district, Uttar Pradesh. After an investigation, the sarpanch of the village panchayat registered a police complaint against the …
THE first thing to note about the Mulkanoor cooperative is that it is an exception, not the rule. Given the otherwise dismal state of the cooperative movement in India, how many cooperative societies can boast of a turnover in excess of Rs 55 crore? Or have one of its members …
It's not routine for organic to get a bad press. But when quixotic officials turn it into an article of faith without doing the homework, the repercussions can be seriously debilitating. Take the case of the hill village of Papnaikothar in Ranikhet district. It was well known for the excellence …
This study provides an account of the agriculture crop residue burning in Punjab during wheat and rice crop growing periods. Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-P6) Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) data during May and October 2005 have been analysed for estimating the extent of burnt areas and thereby greenhouse gas …
India will host the second International Rice Congress from October 9-13 in New Delhi. This is the most important event in the calendar of rice research since the International Year of Rice in 2004. But in this short span, the field of rice science has registered phenomenal growth and probably …
Do you think biotech will dominate the rice research agenda for India? Biotech will get its due, but in the Indian situation water and natural resource management is more important. We have to learn from the previous green revolution's negative impacts and work for sustainable rice farming now. Is India …
farms in the terai region of Uttar Pradesh were enveloped by fog this August. Fog is not unusual in this part of the country but it usually starts happening in winter, mostly in late December and January. Experts at the India Meteorological Department (imd) are unclear about the factors that …
There are a large number of indigenous rice varieties in India, which are still grown by the tribal people and small farmers of the remote areas where the modern agricultural practices, sufficient foods as well as healthcare systems are a dream. Nature has provided them some alternative ways. They have …
Following the us government's announcement that an illegal and untested genetically modified strain had contaminated its conventional long-grain rice, the European Commission has stopped its import. While Japan has suspended imports, the 25-nation European Union has placed strict limits saying the grain will not be allowed unless it is certified …
Having to write a happy story makes me uneasy. Ten journalistic years of persistently sifting for what's wrong in every event/statement has taken its toll. Cynicism, an assortment of palliatives, and antacids are canonical accessories of roving reporters. The need to be certain of the facts often makes one doubt …
The intensive agricultural production by the over use of agro-chemicals in the state of Punjab has resulted in higher NO3-N concentration in ground water, which leads to ground water pollution. The LEACHM model developed by Wagenet & Hutson is used to predict nitrogen transport in multi layered soil profile under …
Farmers in Haryana have been persuaded to give up growing a lucrative crop because of the harm it causes to the earth. For the past six years, Jasbir Singh had been reaping rich benefits from saathi-a fast maturing and therefore lucrative variety of common paddy sown after the wheat harvest …
Drought is a major constraint affecting rice production especially in rainfed areas of Asia. Despite its importance in rice growing areas, the magnitude of economic losses arising from drought, its impact on farm households and farmers’ drought coping mechanisms are poorly understood. This paper provides insights into these aspects of …
