-PTI The government on Wednesday said it has put in place a contingency plan for 580 districts to tackle any situation arising out of below-normal monsoon. As per the weather department forecast, monsoon would be below normal this year due to an impact of El Nino. Monsoon rains are expected to arrive on time this year, hitting Kerala on June 1. Last year, the country had received 12 per cent less rains, affecting production...

-The New Indian Express The financial distress in the rural sector, especially borne by the farmers and reflected in farmer suicides, is a matter of concern for the nation. The rural economy housing nearly two-thirds of the population is vital for the development of the nation as it not only supplies food for consumption but also provides a market for industrial output. The rural people, due to lack of awareness of...

-ANI Chennai: Indian agriculture is at the cross roads, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, father of India's first Green Revolution, has warned. Lamenting on the state of Indian farmers, especially farmers with small land-holdings, Dr. Swaminathan said, "The market economy certainly is not friendly to small farmers. WTO regulations are also hindrance. Even in the United States which is the heartland of the free market economy, farmers are insulated from market shocks through heavy...

-Outlook Mumbai: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today hinted at more sops for the troubled farmers, saying the Unseasonal rains in March have resulted in an "agrarian crisis". Jaitley asserted that the government is committed to allocate more resources to the farm sector, which he identified as the biggest challenge for high growth. "Agriculture is the biggest challenge and the Unseasonal rains have resulted in an agrarian crisis," Jaitley said here this evening at...

-Livemint.com Experts outline steps to tackle the woes of the rain-dependent sector, with Met dept seeing a below-normal monsoon Agriculture in India is going through one of its worst periods in recent times. On the one hand farm incomes have been dented by falling prices of crops—both of key crops like rice, wheat and cotton as well as cash crops like rubber, basmati rice, guar gum and potatoes. On the other,...