This report evaluates emission mitigation options to achieve net-zero carbon emissions through marginal abatement cost (MAC) curves for the existing plants in the fertiliser industry. MAC curves were developed for three major fertilisers produced in India, which account for 85 per cent of total fertiliser production—urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), and …
an unknown reservoir of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, has been found within the coastal waters of the Arabian Sea bordering India's west coast. This was discovered by scientists at the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. The discovery of the nitrous oxide reserve, commonly known as laughing gas, could …
Many fruits and vegetables are grown in wetlands of Bihar, the most important ones being makhana and singhara. Known as foxnut, makhana (Euryle ferox) is now gaining the status of a major cash crop. Bihar accounts for 75 per cent of country's total output. The fruit has a high nutritional …
Kawar Jheel Bird sanctuary, district Begusarai The Kawar lake, as notified "protected' by the state government on June 20, 1989, is 6311.63 hectares (ha). When it was notified, farmers opposed the move. Local politicians also supported them. "Even the former agriculture minister of Bihar, Ram Jeevan Singh, who is among …
The Sahanis are known as "masters of water'. This fishing community had been living in the wetlands of north Bihar for aeons, relying on them for sustenance. They did so by fishing or helping people cross the surging rivers that crisscross the floodplain. Or by displaying their art of trapping …
It's been 50 years since politicians have been mouthing the slogan: Jai jawan, jai kisan (Long live soldiers, long live farmers). Now it has started to sound like a raucous chant, at least to the farmers struggling to survive. They till the soil harder, increase their spending to replenish their …
Gian kaur, 50, is a breast cancer patient. But in her village her ailment does not make her unique or get her visitors to check on her health. Almost every house in her village Giana in Bhatinda district has an ailing patient to tend to. Cancer or less fatal diseases …
A few months, India was besieged by a drought. But the drought did not lead to a famine. A comfortable grain reserve of 26 million tonnes -11 million tonnes more than would be required in a normal year to stave of the famine. But this may be the last time …
Undoubtedly, GR made Punjab one of the richest states in India in terms of per capita income. From Rs 2,674 in 1980-81, the per capita income at current prices rose to Rs 19,770 in 1997-98. Compared to Punjab, Tamil Nadu's per capita income was only Rs 12,989, while that of …
Agreed. The government cannot just do away with subsidies on chemical fertilisers, tractors and diesel. Far too many farmers depend on these. But what keeps the government from promoting livestock as well? "Productivity of the livestock system can be trebled with corresponding increase in rural income. This requires a draught …
the decision of the Nepal government to do away with the subsidy on chemical fertiliser has attracted criticism from all quarters. This decision was taken by the previous regime in 1997 and is meant to end the monopoly on chemical fertilisers and to introduce competition in the fertiliser market. The …
it has been twenty-eight years since the Oriental white stork disappeared from Japan. The birds stopped inhabiting the Japanese countryside due to the overuse of agro-chemicals in paddy fields that killed the loach, a staple food for the birds. In the hope of seeing the birds in Japan again, the …
agro-scientists in India are a troubled lot these days because there are indications that the soil in some of the most-productive regions of the country is losing its micronutrient content. “However, in India, little attention is paid to the possible health impact of depleting micronutrients in the soil,” laments V …
The Punjab state government of Pakistan has approved a Rs 15.5-million grant for a project to study the impact of pesticides and fertilisers. The project is called "Effects of agro-chemicals on soil, water and crops'. According to official sources, efforts will also be made to popularise integrated pest management (IPM) …
Nitrogen is the basic building block of plant and animal proteins, and is essential to all forms of life. But studies in recent times have shown that human activity, including agriculture, energy production and transport, have overwhelmed the natural nitrogen cycle. This has resulted in excess nitrogen in the ecosystem, …
Pakistan's Punjab government has decided to launch a campaign to check marketing of substandard zinc sulphate used by farmers to get a higher yield of rice crop. The additional secretary (planning) Arif Nadeem said that the use of substandard zinc sulphate was the major factor responsible for low rice yield …
large numbers of whale deaths off Mexico's coasts were most likely caused by humans polluting the seas, but the real answer may never be known due to government foot-dragging, environmentalists said. Mexico has recorded at least four massive die-offs of whales and other marine mammals since 1993, the latest occurring …
patenting of basmati rice by Ricetec Inc of the us has been in and out of the news since February 1998. In response to a public interest petition filed in the Supreme Court, the Attorney General of India says Indian scientists and the best legal brains in the us are …
A division bench of the Gujarat high court recently directed the Gujarat State Fertilisers Company Limited (GSFC), Vadodara, to take proper steps to ensure the upkeep of the wall which seperates the GSFC and the residential complex. The direction was given so that the wall could withstand pressure of heavy …
researchers have known since the 1960s that nitrogenous fertilisers run-off severely affects lakes and rivers. Recently published studies show a bleaker picture. Polluting waterways of the world and displacing mineral nutrients from forest soils will result in wide-scale destruction of both forest and marine ecosystems. Nitrogenous compounds such as ammonia …
