FAO has warned that 2011 may witness a global food crisis. Proactive action is needed to meet the challenge of price volatility, chronic hunger, agrarian despair and climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has alerted developing countries about possible steep rises in food prices during 2011, if steps are not taken immediately to increase significantly the production of major food crops. According to FAO, “with...

India is likely to harvest a record 16.5 million tonne pulses this year. This was announced by the Agriculture Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar, at the 6th Agriwatch Global Pulses Summit here today. The Minister said that though India presently imports a large quantity of pulses, the use of new production technologies and agronomic practices, and government support will lead to self sufficiency. Shri Pawar said that more aggressive promotion of available technologies...

The country’s wheat production is likely to exceed the target of 82 million tonnes in the 2010-11 rabi season that started from mid-October, Agriculture secretary PK Basu said today. “We will easily beat the production target of 82 million tonnes this year, as good rains have boosted Soil Moisture which improves yield. Timely sowing, good supply of seeds and fertilisers would help increase the productivity of the crop,” P K Basu...

Ample monsoon rains and higher prices of farm goods are likely to lift Indian fertiliser demand in 2010/11 by 13 percent to a record 60 million tonnes, testing local fertiliser makers' ability to raise output in sync with the demand, industry officials said. India's June-Sept monsoon rains, a key factor in determining food grain production and fertiliser demand in the country, were 2 percent above normal in the current year, weather office data showed....

In an encouraging development, Assam has been awarded the best performing State in rice production in eastern India. Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar presented awards for best performance in production and productivity in National Food Security Mission (NFSM) districts, to the States of Assam (Eastern) for rice, Punjab (western region) and Bihar (central eastern) for wheat; Uttar Pradesh (central western), Andhra Pradesh (southern) and Maharashtra (central eastern), Tamil Nadu (southern) and...