-Hindustan Times Amritsar: Even as northern states, including Punjab, have witnessed better rainfall this season as compared to previous years, farmers are worried about the yield of their kharif crops. The agriculture department officials say in comparison to previous years, the amount of rainfall was better this monsoon. Also, there was enough sunshine as required by the crop, another positive sign promising a good yield. “Around 20% more rainfall has been recorded...

-The Times of India Aurangabad: A drastic shift in the cropping pattern in Marathwada over the past three decades has further exacerbated the drought situation in the region, a study has shown. The region has faced many as 12 moderate to severe droughts and 21 mild droughts in the last 55 years. Since the 1980s, the farmers in the region have opted out of cultivating sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra) and oilseeds...

-The Hindu Business Line Bengaluru: Pulses such as tur (arhar), urad, moong, and oilseeds — mainly groundnut and sunflower — and maize have turned out to be the hot favourites of farmers, who have brought a larger area under these crops in the ongoing kharif planting season. The prevailing high prices, coupled with an increase in the support price and bonus incentive announced by the Centre, is the main reason farmers in...

-The Asian Age Bhubaneswar: Traditionally-cultivated minor millets are the major sources of sustenance for lakhs of tribals and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers living in southern and western parts of Orissa. Over 170 varieties of millets are cultivated in the hilly and forested areas in the state. Some of the prominent minor millets largely cultivated in Orissa include sorghum (jawari) spiked millet (Bajra) and finger millet (Ragi/Mandika), among others. The nutritional value of the minor...

-The Indian Express Every crisis produces its fall guy. This time, it is sugarcane that’s bearing the brunt of the blame for drought, especially in Maharashtra’s worst-affected Marathwada region. Sugarcane, no doubt, requires 2,100-2,200 mm of water, more than the 1,400 mm or so for paddy, 900 mm for cotton, 600 mm for jowar (sorghum) and arhar (pigeon-pea), 550 mm for wheat, and under 500 mm for soyabean and chana (chickpea). But then,...