-PTI RAIPUR: Over 50 per cent sowing of paddy crop has been completed for the current kharif season in Chhattisgarh where agriculture experts have advised farmers to cultivate of short and medium duration varieties of rice. Sowing for paddy crop has been carried out on 19.34 lakh hectares of land so far against the proposed target of 36.42 lakh hectares in the state, known as rice-bowl of the country, an agriculture department...

-The Hindu The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) on Friday gave the green signal for field trials of genetically modified (GM) rice, mustard, cotton, chickpea and brinjal at its meeting in Delhi. Hem Kumar Pande, chairperson of the GEAC told The Hindu that meetings were not held for a year since March 2013 and there was a backlog of 70 applications pending since 2011-12 of which 60 have been cleared so far. Friday's...

-The Hindu Business Line Below normal rainfall will result in agricultural production declining India, predominantly an agriculture-based economy, is largely dependent on the monsoon. The agriculture sector is the backbone of the Indian economy and thus, monsoon should be considered as the backbone of agriculture. The four-month South-West monsoon season, accounts for nearly 75 per cent of the country's total rainfall and plays a crucial rule as about 55-60 per cent of...

-The Business Standard Centre keeps close watch, prays for rain revival; area under paddy, coarse cereals at 5-year low till now With the southwest monsoon's progress a worry, the Union department of agriculture is keeping a close watch on 38 districts across the country where the rainfall condition till June has been alarming and chances of drought are the highest. The assessment is based on rainfall in June and the first few days...

-The Hindu Adilabad (Telengana): Alarmed over the continuing dry spell and the expected power shortage in the near future, the Agriculture Department in the district has advised farmers to desist from cultivating paddy this kharif season. Paddy cultivation could result in failure, besides drastically depleting groundwater level in the coming months, officials said. The normal area under paddy cultivation during the season is about 52,000 hectares and farmers are making preparations for...