Gujarat's business acumen and entrepreneurial zest is passé; the State's leap-frogging with 11 per cent agricultural growth, praised by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) last year, is old hat too. What is new is this: Gujarat may now export more ‘kesar', the famous mango variety of the State, to West Asia than Maharashtra sells alphonso; the State has entered Goa market with cashew nut; and an Ahmedabad-based part-time...

So you think the ‘fresh-from-villages’ Fruits and vegetables are actually safe and healthy to eat? However, there is more to what meets the eye. With groundwater having receded as much as 300 feet, farmers in the area have resorted to growing vegetables and seasonal crops using sewerage water laced with industrial pollutants. The primary source of surface water is a 150-km long rivulet that flows from Mohali to Ratia in Haryana...

India's annual food inflation edged up for the second week, rising to 16.49% for the week ended May 8 as shown by the official data released on Thursday. The food inflation stood at 16.44% the previous week, up from 16.04% for the week ended April 24. Data on the wholesale price index (WPI) released by the commerce and industry ministry showed that food inflation rose though the index for this...

The task of providing water where needed is becoming increasingly difficult across the world. Countries have, in recent decades, been investing in infrastructure designed to alleviate water shortages. But the response has, for the most part, overlooked the problem posed by the deteriorating state of aquatic resources. If the growing crisis is to be effectively addressed, water use needs to be linked with environmental care. In many places, even where water...

Food Inflation further eased to 16.04% for the week ended April 24, as arrival of rabi (winter) crops cooled down prices of essential items. Inflation fell over 0.57% from 16.61% in the previous week on account of a percentage point drop in prices of fish, Fruits, wheat and vegetables over the week. However, tea prices rose 13% while maize, gram and eggs prices were up 1% each. Prices of cereals...