-The Hindu Business Line   World Bank economist says there is ‘policy fatigue' Washington DC: Improving farm productivity is central to the Indian government's goal of achieving ‘faster, more inclusive and sustainable growth', the World Bank has said in a recent report ‘Accelerating Agricultural Productivity Growth in India - Issues and Opportunities'. Although agricultural growth rebounded after 2004-05, two worrying trends emerged: concerns about the nature and sustainability of growth, the report observes, adding...

-Deccan Chronicle Hyderabad: Organic products now cost 15 to 35 per cent more than other products as supply is not being distributed uniformly. Storage cost too is high and certification for growing these products, per acre costs Rs 50,000. Farmers are now demanding government support for a resource system. According to experts, there are currently two major reasons why organic products are expensive. The distribution of production is not uniform. For instance,...

-Deccan Chronicle We are faced with two crises on a planetary scale - climate change and species extinction. Our current modes of production and consumption, starting with the Industrial Revolution and aggravated by the advent of industrial agriculture, have contributed to both. If no action is taken to reduce greenhouse gases, we could experience a catastrophic 4°C increase in temperatures by the end of the century. But climate change is not just...

-The Hindu Thiruvananthapuram: Farmers in Kerala can look forward to reducing their dependence on toxic chemicals for pest control. The Department of Agriculture has tied up with the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, to introduce pheromone traps in the State. The technology uses the sex pheromones of a particular pest against itself. Pheromones are hormones released by insects and pests to attract the opposite sex for mating. The IICT has developed...

-The Hindu KANTHALLUR (Kerala): Brussels sprout or miniature cabbage is not a familiar vegetable in Kerala. However, its anticarcinogenic properties made it a popular culinary item in Europe where its cultivation spread long years back from its native place Brussels, Belgium. The edible buds contain vitamins C and K and folic acid too. "It has high potential as a vegetable crop and the soil and climatic conditions in the Marayur-Kanthallur belt are...