-India Today Commonly grown in Assam, the Black Rice (Kala chavul) is an exotic variety with amazing nutritional parameters like anti-oxidant, minerals, carbohydrates and fibre but the growers lacked the market. Chandigarh: The northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim are a veritable goldmine of organic foodgrains, herbs, spices and fruits. Despite the uniqueness and amazing health benefits, these foodgrains and herbs remain confined to these states as...

-The Economic Times SILIGURI: Acute shortage in cold storage capacity has put potato farmers in great distress in West Bengal, which is the second largest producers of the tuber in the country after Uttar Pradesh. The situation, if not managed soon, may cause severe rural level socio-economic crisis in many districts of the state. As the potato sowing and reaping timeline goes, farmers start loading their produce at cold storages during March...

-DNA The joint study has found an increase in female-headed households (FHHs) and greater engagement of rural women in agricultural labour. Three days from now, March 8, is the International Women's Day. An important lesson on the relation between women and environment was first taught to us by rural women in the Himalayan region of Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand) who, in the early 1970s, embraced trees to save them from state-backed...

-The Financial Express Kochi: Drought and high temperatures in the plantation regions of Kerala are likely to cause irreparable damage to the crops. Association of Planters of Kerala reports that the plantation sector is facing one of the worst drought conditions in last 115 years and crop production had reduced by 30% in tea, 14% in rubber, 60% in cardamom and 40% in coffee. Most of the agri-commodities are highly monsoon sensitive...

-The Hindu Business Line 'Above normal' temperatures forecast across the country Prepare for a scorching summer as the India Meteorological Department has forecast “above normal” temperatures across most of the country. Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir — or hill-station States popular among tourists wanting to escape the heat — are expected to be particularly hot with predicted temperatures, on average, likely to be well above 1 degree C above their normal...