-Hindustan Times Flood-based irrigation in Haryana, Punjab a threat to groundwater which is depleting over 3 feet every year Chandigarh: Breaking the traditional wheat-paddy cycle is the need of the hour to preserve groundwater for the future generations, reveals a research conducted by scientists of the Central soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), Karnal (Haryana). Asserting that the rice crop alone consumes about 50% of the total irrigation water, the researchers have suggested radical...

-CaravanMagazine.in Farmers suffer under the coronavirus lockdown At the beginning of this year, things looked good for Indian farmers. As per advance estimates of the agriculture ministry, the country was expected to produce a record 106.21 million tonnes of wheat in 2019–20, 2.61 million tonnes more than what was produced the previous year. This increase was mainly attributed to increased acreage under wheat production and optimum soil moisture on account of a...

-Down to Earth Studies have pegged consumption of phosphatic fertilizers in Punjab at ten times higher than the national average The media has consistently reported on cancer deaths in the Malwa region of Punjab. While a definite scientific finding on the same is awaited, there have been varying conclusions which may, at best, be speculative in nature. But first, it is important to bring out facts which are uncontested. Studies have pegged consumption...

-PTI New Delhi: Use of soil health card has helped farmers substantially reduce the cost of production and achieve higher production, thereby increasing farm income up to ?30,000 per acre, depending on the crop, according to a government study. The study, conducted by the National Productivity Council (NPC) in 76 districts of 19 States, covering 170 soil testing labs and 1,700 farmers, has been released on the completion of five years of...

-Outlook India Khammam district in Telangana has taken the initiative to set up temporary decentralised village level camps called “Rythu Mitra Kendras”. The administration of Khammam district in Telangana has taken the innovative initiative of setting up temporary decentralised village level camps called “Rythu Mitra Kendras” during the current agricultural marketing season. These camps are equipped with cotton moisture measurement machines. Through an aggressive communication campaign, small and marginal farmers have been encouraged...