-Livemint.com Farmers commit suicides less often than non-farmers but they are more likely to commit suicides because of economic distress compared to others With an ongoing petition in the Supreme Court on farmer suicides , and a growing clamour for farm loan waivers across several states of the country, the debate on farm suicides in India seems to be heating up once again. Several commentators and researchers have claimed for long that farmers...

-Hindustan Times A report on sugar price policy for 2015-16 by union agriculture ministry had highlighted that Maharashtra’s sugarcane cultivation, which is less than 4% of the total cropped area, consumes 70% of water needed for irrigation Following criticism over sugarcane crop guzzling potable water, particularly in drought-prone Marathwada, the state government is set to introduce a policy for shifting 50% of sugarcane farming on drip irrigation in the next two years. Statistics...

-Business Standard The programme will cover both water-scarce and flood-affected areas in India Ahmedabad: Ahead of the monsoon, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) will be reaching out to 100,000 villages with its water conservation programme. The Nabard will be working with villagers on better use of water for agriculture and household purposes.   Amid a drought-like situation in several areas, the Nabard targets to help farmers extend water availability and...

-India Today While politicians are busy earning brownie points through waving off farmer loans, the farmers in Maharashtra's Pune and Ahmednagar districts have a different story to tell. I had decided to check whether the farmers in Maharashtra are really in favour of the loan waiver after the opposition members were screaming in the legislature almost every day, during the budget session which began on March 9 and concluded on April 17....

-The Financial Express Punjab farmers would benefit if the state govt subsidised the adoption of appropriate technology and diversification of crops. The newly-elected government in Punjab is considering a loan waiver for farmers to reduce agrarian distress. According to the recent Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers (SASF), the average outstanding loan is nearly three times higher in Punjab compared with the rest of India (Rs 3.31 lakh versus Rs 1.22 lakh). Farmers...