-The New Indian Express BHUBANESWAR: In its bid to ensure food security and sustainability in agriculture sector, the Odisha Government has woken up to the need of promoting organic farming. In its draft Organic Farming Policy, the Agriculture Department has proposed formation of a State Organic Commodity Board which will not only facilitate organic farming but also promote trade of organic commodities through knowledge sharing. The Department has decided to take a leaf...

-The Hindu Business Line   Polyhouse farms yield more than a same-size land holding in this salubrious corner of the country Until a few years ago, monkeys and pigs destroyed everything the farmers grew in the villages around Jubbar Hatti, 25 km from Shimla. Today the same farmers earn big money from growing exotic vegetables like bell capsicum or carnation flowers, but inside a cluster of polyhouses spread across five panchayats in a...

-Down to Earth Untimely rains have damaged cotton and soyabean crops all over the state As if prevailing drought-like situation and other natural calamities in 2014 were not enough, the low procurement prices for cotton produced in the state are set to destroy the agricultural economy of the state. The state government has started cotton procurement for the season at the dismal minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 4,050 per quintal. This, allegedly,...

-The Indian Express Last week, India and the US reached an understanding on working out a "permanent solution" to the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The deal is seen as a breakthrough, ending the impasse that had stalled the implementation of a landmark Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) hammered out at the WTO's ministerial conference in Bali last December. * What is this deal...

-Business Standard New schemes allows consumers without Aadhaar to receive cash directly in their bank accounts The government is to launch the modified version of the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme (DBT) for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in 54 districts across the country from tomorrow. The government hopes to cut down on large scale diversion of subsidised domestic cooking gas that does not make Aadhaar number mandatory. Earlier version of the scheme that was rolled...