“Governments and international agencies urgently need to boost ecological farming techniques to increase food production and save the climate,” said UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter, while presenting the findings at an international meeting on agroecology held in Brussels on 21 and 22 June. Along with 25 of the world’s most renowned experts on agroecology, the UN expert urged the international community to re-think current agricultural...
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To perk up food produce, UPA eyes eastern states by Devesh Kumar
IT’S NOW “look east’’ policy for the Krishi Bhawan as well. Keen to extend the green revolution to the eastern states, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar will be holding a day-long conclave with top-level representatives from six states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal — at Kolkata on July 10. On the discussion table will be ways to augment agricultural productivity in this region so as to...
More »Food, fuel and farms
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have warned that farm commodity prices, especially foodgrains, may rise by as much as 40 per cent by the end of this decade. This warning must be taken seriously given its implications for food insecurity. FAO’s Agricultural Outlook 2010-2019 projects prices of wheat, coarse grains and dairy products rising by 15 to 40 per cent...
More »Farmers earn more from organic cotton: Survey
Greenpeace, the non-governmental organisation, has claimed that farmers get more income if they cultivate organic cotton instead of Bt cotton. The NGO, which conducted a survey in three top cotton growing districts of Warangal, Karimnagar and Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh, said that the net income of organic cotton farmers is Rs 6,000 an acre, while Bt cotton farmers earned only Rs 2,000. “This is due to the higher cost of pesticides. Though...
More »Seed bill retake by Jyotika Sood
THE Union agriculture ministry will redraft the seed bill following complaints by MPs, states and farmer groups. Their main grouse is that the bill, which aims to regulate the quality of seeds, does not monitor their prices, crucial for farmers. The Seed Bill 2010 was approved by the Cabinet in March and was to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha in mid-April. Sources in the ministry said MPs and state government...
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