The revised draft Seeds Bill 2019, which the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare placed in the public domain recently for suggestions and comments, seems to be a watered down version of a draft prepared about nine years ago by the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Among other things, …
A writ was filed in the Supreme Court on Sunday seeking the court’s intervention to prevent the import of genetically modified (GM) seeds developed by Monsanto Company, a USA-based chemical and agricultural biotechnology company. Advocate Arjun Aryal, who filed the writ, has maintained that GM seeds hamper local verities of …
Vandana Shiva, a renowned environmentalist, has said the genetically modified organism (GMO) is not inventions but the genetic contamination that destroys ecology, diversity and resilience of local crops. Delivering lecture on Seed Freedom and Food Freedom in Times of Globalisation at Mahesh Chandra Regmi Lecture series in the Capital on …
The Punjab Seed Council (PSC) approved 39 new verities of different crops for cultivation including 15 Bt cotton, 6 rice, 2 wheat, 1 sugarcane, 2 gram, 3 citrus, 4 peach, 3 flowers and 1 variety of each potato, tomato and turnip. A spokesman of the department said on Monday that …
The Punjab Seed Council has approved 39 new verities of different crops for general cultivation. The new varieties included 15 Bt Cotton, six rice, two wheat, one Sugarcane, two Gram, three Citrus, four Peach, three flowers and one variety of each potato, tomato and turnip. The approval was granted in …
As part of an initiative of the District Basin Development Unit, East Garo Hills under Meghalaya Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood Promotion Program (MIBDLP), approximately more than 9000 farmers in East Garo Hills district of Meghalaya received benefits from the ‘Seeds on Wheels 2013’ project. The Seed Festival which was …
Opponents of a Washington state ballot measure that would have required labeling of foods containing genetically modified crops declared victory on Tuesday, citing early voting results. The measure, known as I-522, appeared headed for defeat, 45 percent in favor to 55 percent opposed, with more than 980,000 ballots counted on …
The govt has so far released Rs 160 million for various projects of the National Food Security & Research Division out of total allocation of Rs 750m for the current fiscal year under its PSDP. Ministry of P&D;, Rs 46m has been released for the Research for Agriculture Development Programme …
Stresses on need to disseminate real information among people There is a need to educate, communicate and spread more information about Genetically Modified crops in India to quell people's apprehensions about their safety, according to Bayer CropSciences CEO,Liam Condon. "I think it is a very big topic, not just farmers …
Agriculture sector is facing many challenges including shrinkage of land, depletion of water resources Union Minister of State for Agriculture Tariq Anwar has asked seed companies to be judicious in determining the prices of the genetically modified (GM) crop seeds in the country. "The development of genetically modified crops is …
Legislators on the island of Kauai in Hawaii have approved a bill that would restrict the use of pesticides by companies developing genetically modified crops there. The 6-to-1 vote by the Kauai County Council came just after 3:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, at the end of an emotion-filled hearing …
They need less water, no fertilizer and hardly any care or attention. Climate change has spawned debate as well as initiatives such as planting saplings, cultivating kitchen gardens, household energy conservation and so on. At the grassroots level, a few farmers are doing their bit to preserve traditional and local …
A group of U.S. farmers, seed companies and others challenging patents on genetically altered crops held by biotech seed giant Monsanto Co. on Thursday appealed their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The group, made up of 73 organic and conventional family farmers, seed companies and public advocacy interests, sued …
Celebrating the 67th year of Independence, India is slowly losing her seed sovereignty, even as environmentalists and farmers’ organisations fight in vain. “Dependence on foreign seeds is as good as selling our land. The government is blind while framing new laws,” Rajesh Krishnan, co-convenor, Coalition for Genetically Modified (GM) Free …
Vocational training in agriculture is an important step towards empowerment of large sections of women in the State, according to a study conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Thrissur. The study, conducted by Rinchui Raman of Manipur, a final year student at the College of Cooperation, Banking and Management, Vellanikkara, …
For 52-year-old Nagappa Nimbegundi, a farmer from Makari village in North Karnataka, this Independence Day was special. After three years of relentless efforts, he has managed to revive 13 varieties of indigenous cotton and 11 other varieties of non-Bt cotton in his farm. The seed bank that he is developing …
Rice lines incorporating NUE technology showed double-digit increase in key plant performance and yield measures Maharashtra-based seed company Mahyco Seeds today said it has bought technology from US-based agricultural technology company Arcadia Biosciences to develop Nitrogen Use Efficient (NUE) rice in India. This was under an agreement signed by both …
A group of biotech seed companies on Monday launched an online forum to combat mounting opposition to genetically modified foods among consumer groups and activists. The website, www.GMOAnswers.com, is designed as a "central online resource" for information on genetically modified organisms and their use in agriculture and food production, the …
“Farmers are not opting for seeds anymore. The tray seedling system is now being thrust on them by foreign companies that offer to take care of the crop from sowing to harvest,” Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University K. Ramasamy said here on Monday. Speaking at the second annual …
Faced with widespread concerns in Europe over its genetically modified foods, US agro-chemicals giant Monsanto said Thursday it was giving up on plans to grow new GM crops in the EU, which has held up approval for years. “We will no longer be pursuing approvals for cultivation of new biotech …
In an effort to bring a positive change in the lives of lakhs of farmers, the state agriculture department will propagate the concept of ‘intelligent farming’. The draft agricultural development policy recently submitted to the Chief Minister lays focus on human resource development in the sector, which in the long …
