-The Hindu Farmers in this Rajasthan block blame the drastic fall in groundwater table on the bottling plant, saying it draws out far more water than can be naturally recharged KALADERA (GOVINDGARH): Till the late 1990s, Bansi Aheer, like all other Farmers around Kaladera, used to irrigate his seven-bigha farm, drawing water from a well. "Water was easily available at about 40 feet. But it dropped annually by one or two feet...

-The Hindu Experts say people can keep diseases away if they consume millets Guntur (Andhra Pradesh): The two-day Millet Festival - 2014, aimed at popularising consuming low fat and high fibre millet began at Gunta Grounds here on Saturday. The festival is being held for the first time in districts outside Hyderabad in a bid to promote consumption of millet. Minister for Agriculture Kanna Lakshminarayana, Commissioner of Agriculture K. Madhusudhan Rao and College...

-Economic and Political Weekly Price spikes in onion in 2010 and 2013 brought little benefi t to Farmers. It is the big traders who manage to maintain high stocks that make a killing in times of sudden price rise. The government's solutions to such problems have only resulted in the further deterioration of wholesale agricultural markets in many states. Kannan Kasturi (kasturi_kannan@yahoo.com) is an independent researcher and writes on public interest and...

-The Navhind Times     To give a boost to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of paddy cultivation in the state, the government has come... PANAJI: To give a boost to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of paddy cultivation in the state, the government has come up with a promotional incentive scheme wherein Rs 10,000 per hectare will be provided to Farmers opting for the method to cultivate rice. "An incentive...

-Deccan Herald The National Biodiversity Authority has recognised 30 villages in Zaheerabad of Medak district of Andhra Pradesh that grow traditional and fast-disappearing millets as Agricultural Biodiversity Heritage Site (ABHS). The Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board (APSBB), which finally gave green signal for the rare recognition, has sent its recommendation to the National Biodiversity Board, which has approved the proposal making these villages to become first villages in India...