Will lay emphasis on increasing production of oilseeds Rajasthan has become the first State in the country to implement the national policy on biofuels unveiled by the Centre in May this year. The desert State will lay emphasis on increasing production of oilseeds and establish a Centre for Excellence in …
Paddy sowing in the on-going Kharif season rose by 23 per cent to 14.88 million hectares so far against 12.1 million hectares in the same period last year. The area under oilseed coverage rose marginally to 10.1 million hectares for the week ended July 17 against 9.9 million hectares in …
Recently, biodiesel has been receiving increasing attention due to its less polluting nature and also because it is a renewable energy resource. Mostly, biodiesel is prepared from edible oils like soybean, rapeseed and sunflower through out the world. Attempts have been made for producing biodiesel with non edible oils like …
Africa March 2008: Kenya faces acute food shortage. Global cereal crisis is likely to hit the country the hardest because farmers growing maize, the staple crop of Kenya, have been displaced following post-poll violence. Riots over rising food prices in Namibia and Zimbabwe and several west African countries, including Cameroon, …
This paper attempts to analyse the determinants and impact of adoption of IPM practices in groundnut. This study is a part of a project "Assessment of Adoption and Impact of IPM in Rainfed Crops" funded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Agricultural sector has played a major role in the economic development of the country. India has achieved self-sufficiency in the foodgrain production. We could go back to our past and see how the development has taken place. How we have reached to a state of food security from a stage …
The rising gap between demand and production of edible oils has led to a fast rise in imports of vegetable oils since the eighties. About one half of current consumption of edible oils in recent years (1998-2002) is being met through imports. The policy of self-sufficiency in edible oils resulted …
Laxma Jarpula, farmer, hasn’t met agriculture scientists who say India’s food security and agricultural production rely heavily on pesticides. Three years ago, he decided to risk his cotton crop with pests, rather than pesticides. “I’d put the insects in the pesticides, and they wouldn’t die. The more pesticide I used, …
alok prakash putul Raipur three months after the theft of germplasm of Jatropha carcus from the Indira Gandhi Agricultural University (igau) in Raipur, the guilty have still not been traced. It is alleged that the British company d 1 Oil India Pvt Ltd and its employee Sunil Puri, are involved …
Indian researchers have shown that a compound extracted from fenugreek seeds (methi in Hindi) can be used for nasal delivery of medicines. Scientists from the department of pharmaceutical technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, used the mucilage (sticky substance produced in certain plants) from methi seeds to develop a nasal gel to …
October 16, 2003 saw the release in the uk of Farm Scale Evaluations of GM Crops , the largest-ever field trials to be hitherto held. Commissioned by the uk government in 1999, the crops on trial were Bayer's oilseed rape, maize and fodder beet, and Monsanto's sugar beet. According to …
sumit Naik, a migratory worker in Bhubaneswar, has decided to be ‘absent’ from his native village of Ektal for much longer this year than is usual. He is forced to stay away from his home. Reason: his presence would worsen the food scarcity his family faces, despite having 1.5 hectares …
farmers from developing countries may no longer be forced to buy expensive seeds of genetically modified (gm) plants. A new variety of gm plant will produce fertile seeds that carry desirable traits, but are incapable of spreading engineered genes into the environment. Environmentalists have long warned about the dangers of …
in a bid to promote crop diversification, the Punjab government is venturing into contract farming of basmati rice, oilseeds and durum wheat (see: Down To Earth, February 15, 2003). The state-run Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (paic) will collaborate with Rallis India Limited, icici Bank and lt Overseas Limited for growing …
early tests show that jojoba-fuelled engines spew fewer pollutants, run more quietly and for longer, and perform just as well as those that run on diesel. Jojoba is a desert shrub that can reach up to four to five metres high and typically lives for more than 150 years. It …
crosses between genetically modified (gm) oilseed rape and a wild relative produce hybrid plants that are as toxic to insects as the original crop. Though it is still unclear how such hybrids fare in the wild, the finding is likely to be seized on by environmentalists as proof that field …
Pollen from genetically modified (gm) crops can travel at least three kilometres to contaminate neighbouring crops, according to a study. The study, by researchers from Australia-based University of Adelaide, followed the spread of genes from a new herbicide-resistant variety of GM oilseed rape introduced in Australia two years ago. It …
the Union government is considering banning import of edible oils made from genetically modified (GM) soyabean and other seeds, said Union agriculture minister Nitish Kumar. He said that this measure will help in curbing dumping by some countries, which has adversely affected the Indian farmers. These countries resort to dumping …
in a late disclosure that triggered the wrath of environmentalists across Europe, the seed company Advanta issued a statement that farmers in Britain, France, Germany and Sweden were unwittingly growing genetically modified ( gm ) rapeseed crops. The seeds had apparently been contaminated by its gm variety in Canada from …
purging nut or physic nut ( Jatropha Curcas) is a native to tropical America. It is also found in many parts of Asia and Africa. In Cape Verde Islands, it is cultivated as an oil-yielding seed crop. In Madagascar, where the plant is grown as a support for the vanilla …
