-The Hindu Business Line Acreage under cotton, oilseed cultivation still low but likely to improve New Delhi: With surplus rain recorded between June 30 and July 6, sowing of rice and pulses picked up pace with the total acreage under the two crops, since the beginning of June, exceeding last year’s levels for the same period. The sharp decline in acreage under cotton and oilseeds, however, resulted in lower acreage under all kharif...

-The Hindu While the economy’s revival is still a work in progress, higher food prices, especially of pulses, are affecting nutritional intake across India. The government is counting on a good monsoon season to spur growth and cool down the prices of essential food items. Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said on Thursday that the government’s move to raise the minimum support price for pulses is expected to help push up...

-The Indian Express Fertiliser makers rule out reduction in DAP rates, despite exhortations from Centre. Union Chemicals and fertilisers minister Ananth Kumar has stated that companies have “agreed” to slash maximum retail prices of non-urea fertilisers like DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) and MOP (muriate of potash) by Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 per tonne, even as plantings for the ongoing kharif season have picked up on the back of a good monsoon. But it...

-The Times of India AJMER: The residents of Ramsar village toiled hard for five months to prepare the barren land in this village so that they can conserve water. Ramsar region which received eight inches of water in pre-monsoon showers filled this lake. Now, this water is recharging the wells of nearby villages. District collector Gaurav Goyal on Friday went to inspect the work and congratulated the villagers for carrying forwards chief...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The season's rainfall deficit contracted to 2% from 6% in a day on Monday. The weather office has forecast heavy showers in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and t parts of east in the next 24 hours. This could speed up planting of i paddy, oilseeds, coarse cereals, cotton, sugarcane and pulses. Monday's rainfall, 14.8 mm, was 74% higher than normal, as monsoon reached new areas...