-The Hindu   Threat of drought still looming large with rainfall deficit remaining high at 48 per cent till July 28. The normal area of cultivation for total kharif season is 40.38 lakh hectares. Hyderabad: The prospects of Kharif cultivation have improved in Telangana to some extent over the last 10 days due to revival of monsoon, though the threat of drought conditions is still looming large with the rainfall deficit remaining high...

-The Times of India NAGPUR: With Maharashtra losing 14 sqkm forest cover due to encroachments as per the latest 'India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2013', green activists have attributed the dwindling green cover to massive encroachments on forest land done to get permanent pattas under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006. The fact is revealed by ISFR 2013 that states that Maharashtra lost 25 sq km in 12 tribal districts since...

-The Hindu They lost chance to cultivate short-duration cash crops due to delayed monsoon Gulbarga (Karnataka): The hopes of Gulbarga farmers, who have lost the chance to cultivate short-duration cash crops such as green gram, black gram and sesamum owing to the inordinate delay in the onset of monsoon, now rest on red gram, the mainstay of growers in the district. Farmers have been deprived of the opportunity to cultivate black gram on...

-The Financial Express To cushion the blow of a delayed monsoon that has hit kharif sowing hard, the agriculture ministry has asked farmers to prepare their land and nurseries for direct sowing of paddy (sans re-planting of saplings) and suggested cultivation of less water-consuming crops such as arhar, urad, pigeon pea, groundnut, maize and soyabean. The National Agromet Advisory Services, a joint initiatives by India Meteorological Department (IMD) and ministry of agriculture,...

-The Hindu   Agriculture activities come to a standstill in Gulbarga Karnataka: It has been an agonising wait for farmers in Gulbarga district. After a gap of several years, the district faces the bleak prospect of losing the chance to take up sowing of green and black grams, soyabean and sesame this year because of inordinate delay in the onset of the monsoon. As per the details available with the Agriculture Department on Monday,...