-Business Standard India’s growth in agriculture and allied activities has struggled to reach the targeted four per cent average a year in the first three years of the 12th five-year Plan because of a host of factors. The below-average farm growth is widely expected to deepen the crisis in the farm sector. In an interview with Sanjeeb Mukherjee, newly-appointed member of NITI Aayog and eminent agriculture economist Ramesh Chand  said over-reliance...

-The Times of India Dehradun: The organic food craze is slowly gripping the hill state capital with stores offering the healthy variety mushrooming across the Doon Valley over the last one year. Doonites buying groceries can be increasingly seen hovering in the organic section of stores like '365 forever' in cantonment area and 'Fresh n Easy' in Crossroads mall, trying to stock up on cereals, pulses, wheat flour, grains, spices, Edible OIls,...

-Deccan Herald India’s food grain output for 2014-15 fell by nearly five per cent owing to poor monsoon and untimely rainfall last year. The Fourth Advance Estimates of production of major crop pegged the farm output at 252.68 million tonnes – about 4.66 per cent lower than that of 2013-14. The farm sector is set for yet another year of low production as the weather office on Monday forecast 12 per cent...

-The Indian Express It is necessary to rescue public policy from its elitist bias, bring agriculture to its centre There is seldom any Independence Day speech where the prime minister, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, does not thank the jawans and kisans for their heroic role in securing our borders and ensuring food security. This year is unlikely to be different. Recall Lal Bahadur Shastri’s famous slogan, “Jai Jawan,...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Setting the stage for manufacturing of vehicle engines that can ply on 100% bio-diesel soon, the road transport ministry on Friday came out with draft notification for mass emission standards for such vehicles. These will be known as "B100" vehicles like that of BS-III or BS-IV. Bio-diesel is both renewable and less polluting in comparison to diesel. B100 vehicles have been plying in Brazil and cities...