WITH the introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of cereal and oil-seed crops, the cropping intensity has now reached almost 300 per cent in Punjab. Moreover, the intensive use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides involve greater use of scarce groundwater resources. The water table has gone down alarmingly resulting in huge investment on installation of costly submersible pumps to draw water for irrigation. This does not auger well for sustainable...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Total Matching Records found : 674
Normal rain forecast cools food inflation by Unni Krishnan
India’s food inflation slowed as finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said agriculture prices may cool further on prospects of sufficient rains this year. An index measuring wholesale prices of agriculture products including lentils, rice and vegetables compiled by the commerce ministry rose 16.61% in the week ended 17 April from a year earlier. It gained 17.65% the previous week, according to a statement in New Delhi on Thursday. Mukherjee on Wednesday vowed to...
More »Directionless in Agriculture by Bharat Jhunjhunwala
The growth rate of agriculture was three per cent and that of manufacturing was 4.5 per cent during the first three decades after independence. The growth rate for agriculture has slipped to 2.8 per cent while that for manufacturing has increased to 6.4 per cent during the last 15 years. Farmers continue to commit suicides across the country. The groundwater level is declining. The country has to import wheat, edible...
More »Food inflation at 18% 'unacceptable', says Montek
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told NDTV that he expects food inflation to come down to single digits in two to three months. He said that food inflation at 18 per cent levels is “unacceptable” and the government will take drastic steps if inflation doesn't cool in the next two months. He added that potato prices have come down sharply and vegetable prices are also coming down. Higher prices of...
More »Double oilseed production to achieve self-sufficiency
With the increase in population and purchasing power of people, the per capita oil consumption too is rising steadily. The oil requirement in India is projected to be 18.3 million tonnes in 2015 and 21.8 million tonnes in 2020. To meet the demand, the current production of 29.75 million tonnes of oilseeds has to be doubled in the next 12 years to achieve self-sufficiency, said P. Murugesa Boopathi, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil...
More »
