Large scale child labour persists in India, mostly in the agricultural sector and the informal economy despite initiatives by the government and instances of commercial sexual exploitation of minors are oft reported, a US report on the issue said on Wednesday. According to the India section of the annual report of the Department of Labor, children are exploited in the worst forms of child labour with a majority working in agriculture,...

The government today said it has increased the minimum support price (MSP) for copra by Rs 75 per quintal for the 2011 season, a measure aimed at increasing coconut production in the country. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on the recommendations of on recommendations Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP). While the MSP for fair average quality of milling copra has...

Climate change is springing an unpleasant surprise on agriculture in India, catching both farmers and governments unprepared. The erratic and deficit rainfall pattern and rise in temperature in recent years has even forced farmers to change cropping patterns and several areas have been declared drought-hit.Agricultural scientists acknowledge that even a mere one degree increase in average day temperature would adversely impact production of both wheat and rice crops (total annual...

Chief minister Nitish Kumar dreams big. His latest wish is to boost the agricultural output of the state to such an extent that every person in this nation has at least one food item from Bihar on his or her platter.“I want to take Bihar to the pinnacle. I dream of a day when every people in this nation will have at least one food item in their dish or...

Union minister of state for Agriculture, K V Thomas, today said Kerala, which had not fully utilised the allocation of Rs 700 crore under the Vidharba package, should utilise the remaning nearly rs 400 crore for Organic cultivation.About rs 400 crore was yet to be utilised and this could be made use for propagating organic cultivation in the the state, thomas said at the sidelines of a function here.The miniser...