-The Statesman Agriculture is the source of livelihood for nearly 700 million people in India, representing a huge workforce. More than half the GDP of the rural economy is based on agriculture. It is not just a profession but a traditional occupation, a way of life. Agriculture is characterised by small and fragmented land holdings. Small (up to one hectare of land) and marginal (more than one ha and up to 2...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Weather department downgrades monsoon forecast to 88%, stokes drought fears; govt 'prays'
-Hindustan Times India’s June-September monsoon, the lifeblood of Asia’s third-largest economy, will most likely be “deficient” this year with the met department downgrading its forecast from 93% to 88%, earth sciences minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday. The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) revision -- which had forecast “below normal” monsoon in April -- will potentially toughen challenges for the Narendra Modi government already battling a farm crisis triggered by unseasonal rains in...
More »Beef ban: 'Cattle in gaushalas, men in jail!' -Priyanka Kakodkar
-The Times of India YAVATMAL: He sits despondently with his array of unsold cow-bells and cattle ornaments at the Ghatanji cattle bazaar. Arun Nandeshwar's livelihood is now collateral damage in the fallout of Maharashtra's beef ban. With trade paralysed by the ban, Nandeshwar has barely any customers. Nandeshwar has been selling cattle gear for the last decade. His assortment includes brightly polished brass bells, leather neck-straps lined with ghunghroos and cowrie shells...
More »UP staring at drought worse than 2014 -Brajendra K Parashar
-Hindustan Times Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is staring at a drought worse than last year’s, officials said on Thursday, raising worries of a severe impact on the kharif crop crucial to feeding millions of people in the country’s most populous state. The state government has put 70 out of the 75 districts on high alert and also prepared a contingency plan after the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast a below normal monsoon this...
More »Explained: Why we need to sharply raise MSP for pulses -Harish Damodaran
-The Indian Express There is no alternative to boosting domestic production, farmers desperately need the incentive, and the country could do with saving on urea. Pulses are once again on the boil, with consumers paying around 50 per cent more for tur (pigeon pea) and urad (black gram) dal than they did a year ago. Even chana (chick pea), which had turned cheaper in the past three years, has seen a 40...
More »