-Outlook Scientist and longtime activist against genetically modified BT seeds, Dr. Vandana Shiva, talks about why BT has a devastating fallout. A sudden pest attack has ruined cotton crops in large parts of Punjab, bringing biotech, or BT Cotton back into focus. Farmers who used bio-fertilisers in the Malwa region of the state are said to be safe from this latest pestilence. But those growing BT cotton have lost everything. There...
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From plate to plough: Does anyone love the farmer? -Ashok Gulati
-The Indian Express The Union cabinet lacks a champion for agriculture Policymakers in the corridors of power in Delhi are feeling upbeat. There is recovery and resurgence in India’s stockmarkets. The Make in India campaign is getting more publicity and being noticed by foreign investors. FDI inflows are improving, and India’s ranking in the Ease of Doing Business index seems to be improving, as per some selective ratings. But agriculture, where almost half...
More »When Women Farmers Did What Scientists Couldn’t Do to Save Their Crops from Whitefly Attack -Shreya Pareek
-TheBetterIndia.com Over 100 women farmers have come together to reduce the impact of whiteflies on cotton crops. They have started a campaign to spread awareness about natural sprays to get rid of the pests and improve the production. Whitefly pest attacks, which destroy cotton crops, have always been an issue in Punjab and Haryana. After many failed attempts by scientists and governments to find a solution, a group of women in Haryana...
More »After 15 suicides in Punjab, central aid to cotton farmers?
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Centre will take a call on providing assistance to Punjab cotton farmers, whose crop was damaged due to whitefly pests, after getting report of a central team that visited the state last week to assess the extent of damage. "The team will submit its report in a day or two, making it possible for the agriculture ministry to find out the extent of loss due...
More »And now, a PDS jute bag scam -Devesh K Pandey
-The Hindu Government sources told The Hindu that at PDS packaging centres, new unbranded bags were being replaced with used ones. Jute bags meant for packaging of foodgrains under the Public Distribution System (PDS) allegedly provided their manufacturers — in league with some officials of procuring State government agencies, quality insurance inspectors and middlemen — an opportunity to siphon off thousands of crores in government revenue. So serious is the scam that the...
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