Much to our surprise, a careful relook at the newly released estimates on farm production from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare would reveal that the foodgrain production during the rabi season is likely to fall by almost 1 million tonne between 2013-14 and 2016-17. Please see chart-1. Amidst the celebration of a bumper harvest in the ongoing crop year, it needs to be explained why the rabi foodgrain output...
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Kerala Passes Resolution Against Genetically Modified Mustard -Uma Sudhir
-NDTV The Kerala assembly resolution has listed out reasons why they opposed GM mustard. It says it is not proved that genetically-modified crops give more yield than normal varieties and that GM crops attract new pests and controlling them needs the use of highly hazardous and expensive chemical pesticides. Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Legislative Assembly today unanimous passed a resolution rejecting genetically modified or GM Mustard seed. Just a little over a...
More »GST rates announced; milk, cereals to be exempted -Yuthika Bhargava
-The Hindu 81% items to be taxed at below 18% The Goods and Services (GST) Council on Thursday agreed on the fitment of almost all commodities in the various tax slabs under the new indirect regime to be rolled out on July 1. Milk, cereals (unpackaged and unbranded), and jaggery will be exempt from any GST, while sugar, tea, coffee (except instant), and edible Oil will be taxed at 5%. Common use items...
More »Deepak Pental, innovator of the transgenic mustard variety, interviewed by Sayantan Bera (Livemint.com)
-Livemint.com All our solutions in agriculture, besides management issues, are going to come from science and technology, says Deepak Pental, innovator of GM mustard Last week, the environment ministry’s regulator, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), cleared the commercial release of genetically modified (GM) mustard, leaving it to the government to take a final call. If approved, it will be India’s first food crop developed using transgenic technology, 15 years after Bt...
More »A year after drought, Latur makes comeback as major foodgrain market -Abhiram Ghadyalpatil
-Livemint.com Last year’s abundant rains in drought-prone Marathwada region, of which Latur is a part, have helped farmers produce record amount of pulses Mumbai: Latur is back on its feet and its pulse mills are running again, a year after an acute drought. The dry bed of the Manjra river, the water train from Sangli and the once ubiquitous water tankers have become things of the past. Last year’s abundant rains in Marathwada—a...
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