-India Today Once the government gives final approval, it will be another three years before farmers can begin commercial cultivation using GM mustard Seeds Approval for the environmental release of genetically modified (GM) mustard—Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11)—across India has not come a day too soon. The GM crops regulator, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), had cleared GM mustard in 2017 but the Indian government raised questions and asked for more studies,...

-The Hindu Business Line A recent digital literacy programme in rural Uttar Pradesh shows that eliminating gender disparity in digital literacy can work wonders for the inclusion of women in the workforce  Kamla says she turned from helper to co-owner in her husband’s grocery shop the day he handed over his smartphone to her. That day, like every other, he had kept shop till Kamla joined him after completing her morning household...

-Reuters/ThePrint.in State like UP has received 500% more rainfall than normal so far in October. Higher food prices could prompt India to slap additional restrictions on exports of food commodities. Mumbai: Heavy rainfall in India has damaged key summer-sown crops such as rice, soybean, cotton, pulses and vegetables just before harvesting, which could stoke food inflation in Asia’s third biggest economy, farmers, traders and industry officials said. Higher food prices could prompt New...

-TheWire.in * Debal Deb began conserving indigenous varieties of rice in the 1990s after realizing that they were losing cultivation ground to other varieties preferred by the Green Revolution. * In an extended interview with The Wire Science, he explained what makes a crop resilient, why farmers should be considered scientists, and the perils of technological solutionism. * Deb also spoke at length about the problems with the Green Revolution and its troubled...

-Livemint.com The government had to lower the import duty on edible oils several times in recent months to tame food inflation NEW DELHI: The government is set to launch an oilseed mission to boost domestic production of oilSeeds and reduce import dependence, said NITI Aayog member, agriculture, Ramesh Chand. India currently makes around ₹1 trillion worth of edible oil imports every year or nearly half of its demand. The proposed scheme was devised after...