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 …
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has stressed that the state government must be consulted before any private sector agency is allowed to conduct trials for genetically modified crops. In his letter to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, the Bihar chief minister reiterated the need for state representation in the Genetic Engineering …
In an important decision, the Bihar Government has decided to disallow field trials of Bt maize in the State, citing probable hazards to personal health and the environment in general. Speaking to journalists outside the State Legislature, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that taking cognizance of the dangers involved,
The Union Minister for Forest and Environment, Mr Jairam Ramesh, has instructed the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to immediately cancel field trials for Bt-maize in Bihar.
Jairam intervenes after Nitish tells him that he is opposed to such trials Even as the moratorium on commercialisation of Bt brinjal stands, Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh has asked the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to immediately withdraw its permission to Monsanto for field trials of Bt …
This study focuses on the direct monetary and other effects of growing GM crops that influence farmers‘ income, as represented by the following economic parameters: crop yields, seed costs, pesticides and herbicides costs, labour costs, and gross margins. The objectives of this study are, firstly, to provide an overview of …
THE Rajasthan government distributed hybrid maize seeds not suitable for agroclimatic conditions of the state to over 750,000 farmers. In doing so, it overlooked the recommendations of the Union ministry for agriculture and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR). The seeds had failed to give desired yields during trials …
South Africa expects to seal a deal with buyers in Saudi Arabia and India for about 1,00,000 tonne of its surplus maize before the end of February, a senior government official said on Monday. Africa
When the planting season arrives later this year, farmers in the United States will have a new way to safeguard their crops from drought. Last week, DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International, headquartered in Johnston, Iowa, announced plans to release a series of hybrid maize (corn) strains that can flourish with …
The Asian green revolution trebled grain yields through agrochemical intensification of monocultures. Associated environmental costs have subsequently emerged. A rapidly changing world necessitates sustainability principles be developed to reinvent these technologies and test them at scale. The need is particularly urgent in Africa, where ecosystems are degrading and crop yields …
Potential interactions between food production and climate mitigation are explored for two situations in sub-Saharan Africa, where deforestation and land degradation overlap with hunger and poverty. Three agriculture intensification scenarios for supplying nitrogen to increase crop production (mineral fertilizer, herbaceous legume cover crops
Rajasthan signs agreements with seven biotech companies to restructure agriculture. Read this special report on the fundamental shift in the way farming operates in India by giving private companies access to the state’s research facilities to test and market their hybrid seeds and other technologies. In an unprecedented step, Rajasthan …
IN AN unprecedented step, Rajasthan has entered into memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with seven biotech seed firms, two of them among the largest in the world, to tone up its agriculture. It signals a fundamental shift in the way farming operates in India by giving private companies access to the …
KOCHI: The maize harvest mela organised by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) saw the first harvest of maize crop (Zea mays.L) which recorded an yield of 40 quintals an acre. The harvest was inaugurated by CMFRI director G Syda Rao, and the meeting was attended by progressive farmers …
Transgenic maize engineered to express insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has become widely adopted in U.S. agriculture. In 2009, Bt maize was planted on more than 22.2 million hectares, constituting 63% of the U.S. crop. Using statistical analysis of per capita growth rate estimates, we found that …
Genetically engineered crops represent one of the most controversial and rapidly adopted technologies in the history of agriculture. First grown commercially in 1996, transgenic crops covered 135 million hectares (ha) in 25 countries during 2009. To reduce reliance on insecticide sprays, corn and cotton have been genetically engineered to make …
The international food price crisis in 2007/08 corresponded with significant price increases in domestic markets across the developing world. Prices rose in most Asian countries, but not to world levels. China, India and Indonesia saw no significant increases. Africa saw very high maize price increases, though uncorrelated with international movements, …
An Italian court has imposed a 25,000 euro ($33,670) fine on a farmer for illegally growing genetically modified maize and ordered him to destroy the crop, but the farmer said on Tuesday he would appeal the decision. Italy has banned cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops pending approval of rules …
Punjab-based farmers, who are known for feeding the country, now want to try their hands offshore, with a group of progressive farmers all set to acquire 50,000 hectare on lease in Ethiopia for growing high-value cash crops, including pulses and maize.
Dilip Kumar Jha / Mumbai August 19, 2010, 0:41 IST Monsanto India (MIL), the leading hybrid seed and technology provider, plans to launch two high-yielding hybrid variety of maize, next year. The premium seeds Dekalb 9108 and Dekalb 9106 will be available during spring and the kharif seasons in Uttar …
