The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
Farmers have started switching to cereals from paddy in the wake of adverse impact of climate change with new technology and seed in the vast Barind tract. According to the agriculture officials and scientists, the farmers reduced the cultivation of irrigation-dependent crop especially irri- boro paddy in the Barind tract, …
The ambitious food security law, enacted a few months ago, is being implemented partially in Karnataka and six other states as of now, while three more states are expected to roll it out. Passed by Parliament in September, the landmark law seeks to provide highly subsidised foodgrains to the country’s …
The portion of arable land in the country has shrunk by 6.6 per cent in the last one decade as agricultural fields turned into concrete jungle, shows a latest report of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The share of arable land in the country fell to 2.29 million hectares …
EU energy ministers on Thursday failed to agree on a compromise deal to limit the use of transport fuels made from food crops, which critics say pushes up food prices and can do more harm than good to the environment. The European Union's Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the delay …
The government has stepped up measures to discourage the use of pesticides in the agricultural sector owing to the health hazards it poses and the harm it causes to the ecology. In this regard, the Pesticides Registration and Management Division (PRMD) at the Ministry of Agriculture Development, today, launched an …
Scientists have discovered a wonder rice gene that could dramatically increase yields of one of the world’s most important food crops, the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (Irri) said yesterday. Preliminary tests show that yields of modern long-grain “indica” rice varieties, the world’s most widely-grown types of rice, can rise …
The Green Climate Fund, designed as the United Nations' most important funding body in the battle on climate change in developing nations, launched its headquarters on Wednesday in South Korea, but uncertainty over finances clouded the event. The launch was largely symbolic, as the Fund, set up by developed nations …
The world will need 70 percent more food, as measured by calories, in order to feed a global population of 9.6 billion people in 2050 finds this new report by UNEP, UNDP, WRI and the World Bank. Also provides solutions to close the food gap by reducing excessive consumption. New …
The district’s wheat fields are being lost to ever increasing urbanization and land plotting. According to the Agriculture Development Office, the area under wheat cultivation has dropped to 31,750 hectares from 33,250 hectares five years ago. The office said in addition to urba-nization, the rising preference of farmers to grow …
EU lawmakers deferred on Wednesday plans to curb the use of fuels made from food crops, providing a reprieve for some in the bio-energy industry, but raising the risk of higher grain prices in the future. The decision brakes for now a policy U-turn from the European Commission, the EU …
Opponents of the development of a type of genetically modified (GM) rice enriched with vitamin A are "wicked", the environment secretary has said. In an interview with the Independent, Owen Paterson said they could be condemning millions of people in the developing world to a premature death. Mr Paterson backed …
Scientists from the United States and Pakistan have introduced and tested ‘NARC-2011’, a new variety resistant to the feared ‘UG-99’ wheat variety. The Wheat Productivity Enhancement project (WPEP) of the US Department of Agriculture has shown its highest priority to introduce disease resistant wheat varieties to Pakistan. The WPEP is …
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has developed some varieties of brinjal, resistant to the insect causing damage to the crop, said a press realease. Brinjal is an important vegetable in Bangladesh. It is grown all over the country throughout the year and is liked by the rich and poor alike. …
Kenya is no stranger to adaptation when it comes to food production. Kenya's cultural and political underpinnings are reliant upon adaptation to current climatic conditions. Present predictions are that drastic adaptation will be necessary once again. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Association for Strengthening …
Scientists of Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) here said 71 varieties of different crops including rice and legumes developed by them have been contributing a lot to the country's agriculture. The salinity tolerant and submergence rice varieties developed by BINA have been a great hope for thousands of farmers …
‘The best way to feed the poor is to create more jobs’ Passing the Food Security Bill was the worst thing to do at this point of time, according to economist Rajiv Kumar. He tells Shaili Chopra that despite its noble intentions, the Bill promises to be an execution nightmare …
Adoption of the Food Security Bill would be meaningful only if one can stop the leakages in the PDS and tame food inflation, cautions Ashok Gulati. The current situation of abundant foodgrain stocks and bountiful monsoons shouldn’t make us complacent as there would also be years of drought when grain …
Will the Food Security Bill make our economy even more fragile? So far the answers to this question have distorted the picture completely, depending on whether they come from either the stock market or the activist. Development economist Jean Drèze’s voice re-shapes this into arguments of reason over fear. He …
Scientists of Korea and Bangladesh are working jointly under a project to develop modern farm machinery and research capacity along with a cold-tolerant rice variety, said a press release issued by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) yesterday. The BRRI has already been provided with a number of facilities for …
The mechanism for certifying the safety of transgenic crops and genetically modified (GM) food in India are most stringent and dynamic, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), consisting of over farm scientists, said here. At a press conference, R.B. Singh, President of NAAS, in response to the recent report …
