-The Hindu They lost chance to cultivate short-duration cash crops due to delayed monsoon Gulbarga (Karnataka): The hopes of Gulbarga farmers, who have lost the chance to cultivate short-duration cash crops such as green gram, black gram and sesamum owing to the inordinate delay in the onset of monsoon, now rest on red gram, the mainstay of growers in the district. Farmers have been deprived of the opportunity to cultivate black gram on...

-IANS Panaji: Factors as innocuous as the humble grain-carrying sack to the mighty El Nino could have a varying impact on grain production and delivery this year, experts suggest. Detailed presentations made at a recently-concluded 'Global Grain and Feed Forum' conference in Goa suggest that the occurrence of the El Nino phenomenon in June could to some extent rob India of its monsoon, but also note that poor quality sacks are also...

-The Financial Express To cushion the blow of a delayed monsoon that has hit kharif sowing hard, the agriculture ministry has asked farmers to prepare their land and nurseries for direct sowing of paddy (sans re-planting of saplings) and suggested cultivation of less water-consuming crops such as arhar, urad, pigeon pea, groundnut, maize and soyabean. The National Agromet Advisory Services, a joint initiatives by India Meteorological Department (IMD) and ministry of agriculture,...

-The Times of India The government on Tuesday admitted that a drought-like situation may prevail in parts of western India and said contingency plans were being worked out to ensure drinking water and fodder in distressed areas. Monsoon is delayed Western India is expected to be worst affected and drought like situation might prevail in some pockets," agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh was quoted as saying in a PTI report. The assessment will...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Stuck on a waterlogged road, many of you would blame the monsoon for your misery. This report should dispel that notion. In its audit of Delhi's drainage, desilting and flood control measures, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has unearthed systematic fraud and neglect, showing how taxpayers' money is virtually going down the drain. The report, which could be tabled in Parliament soon, reveals a...