The country’s onion output is likely to dip by over 12% to 10.5 million tonnes in the 2010-11 crop year due to untimely and erratic rains last year, a top official said. India produced 12 million tonnes of onions in the 2009-10 crop year. Onions are grown in three seasons — kharif (summer), late kharif and rabi (winter). “We expect onion output to decline by 1.5 million tonnes to 10.5 million...

Showing its concern for farmers, the Mayawati government on Wednesday decided to implement the amended national agriculture insurance scheme (NAIS) and the all weather-based crop insurance scheme from the current sowing season. Both these schemes involve an expenditure of Rs 900 lakh. A decision to this effect was taken at a cabinet meeting presided over by chief minister Mayawati here on Wednesday. The NAIS, according to an official release, will be implemented...

FAO has warned that 2011 may witness a global food crisis. Proactive action is needed to meet the challenge of price volatility, chronic hunger, agrarian despair and climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has alerted developing countries about possible steep rises in food prices during 2011, if steps are not taken immediately to increase significantly the production of major food crops. According to FAO, “with...

Rajasthan Energy Minister Jitendra Singh has said that farmers waiting for electricity connections would be given agricultural power connections on priority and the “entire backlog” across the State would be cleared by this month-end. Addressing a review meeting at the Vidyut Vitaran Nigam headquarters in Jodhpur on Thursday, Mr. Singh said the prompt release of power connections would facilitate proper irrigation of rabi crops. “We wish to maintain the pace of agricultural...

After a significant jump in retail price of potato in the last two weeks due to disruption of supplies on account of heavy rain in northern India, prices are all set to fall because of huge stocks with traders in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, the two biggest potato producing states and expected arrival of the new crop from Punjab next month. Traders in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, who were...