-The Hindu Gulbarga (Karnataka): Organic farming is catching up with farmers both in the irrigated and rain-fed areas in Gulbarga district. The improved agricultural practice of mixed crop cultivation, avoiding the use of the chemical fertilisers and pesticides, is a hit among the farmers in the district. Joint Director of the Agriculture Department Mohammad Jilani Mokashi told a group of presspersons visiting some of the agriculture plots, where individual farmers have adopted...

-The Hindu Panchayat takes uncultivated land on lease for farming ALAPPUZHA (Kerala): Any visitor to Thazhakara grama panchayat in Mavelikara taluk is bound to be welcomed by vast expanses of paddy fields. The local body has scripted a success story by reviving paddy cultivation and vegetable farming on a land that remained barren for around three decades. The panchayat achieved the turnaround by identifying uncultivated land and convincing private landowners to provide such...

-The Pioneer Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): As a result of the State Government's tireless efforts to promote organic farming in Madhya Pradesh, organic agriculture production in the State has risen to 5 lakh MT, about 40 per cent of country's total production. Cotton, wheat, foodgrains, fruits and vegetables are mainly produced through organic farming in the State. A study by industry body, Asshocham, said that MP has the potential to produce wealth of `23,000...

-The Business Standard Market to help farmers directly reach wholesalers and retailers New Delhi: Deepak Sharma, a third-generation farmer in Jammu, will no longer have to pay steep commissions when he next visits Delhi to sell his produce, thanks to the new market in Alipur here. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the Kisan Mandi in Alipur village for farmers like Sharma to sell fruit and vegetables...

-The Hindu Kochi (Kerala): The State Horticulture Mission (SHM) is planning to implement organic farming and certification in 2,000 hectares in the State. The programme is to be implemented initially in the three districts of Idukki, Wayanad and Kasaragod during 2014-15, under the guidance of the National Horticulture Mission (NHM). Under the programme, financial assistance will be provided over a period of three years for groups of farmers covering an area of...