Seventeen-year-old Jayjeet Kumar of Gaya's Ghantadih village does not know much about complicated chemical reactions or for that matter, about quadratic equations, the reason being that he is only a student of Class VIII. But when it comes to taking a robust crop from minimum investment, this teenager is miles ahead of many agriculture experts. So much so that the Ghantadih boy donned the role of a farming expert on...

The European Union is to radically overhaul its approval system for genetically modified (GM) crops from next month, opening the way to large-scale GM cultivation in Europe, EU sources said on Friday. With most Europeans showing no appetite for GM produce in food, EU politicians have approved just two varieties for growing in 12 years, compared with more than 150 worldwide. Under proposals due to be adopted on 13 July,...

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 29 May announced a Rs25,000 crore ($6 billion) plan for new farm sector projects by states, besides launching a food security mission to enhance output of wheat, rice and pulses. Speaking at the 53rd meeting of the National Development Council, he also warned that small and marginal farming had become an unviable proposition and until farming was made viable at this scale, it would be virtually...

Parinathi, a Non Government Organisation is bringing smiles on the faces of farmers in 5 GPs of Kadur taluk by providing technical assistance.    It has been taking up watershed works, promoting organic farming and self-employment to economically backward families for the last 2 years. The organisation will work for the implementation of various projects worth Rs 80 lakh under the Watershed Development Fund of NABARD in the last four years. Schemes...

Uttarakhand is likely to pass the much-awaited Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act, setting the stage for private companies like RIL and ITC to get into contract farming in the state and set up private mandis. Uttarakhand agriculture minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat on Friday said chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has agreed to give the final nod to the proposal at the next Cabinet meeting. The move follows the green...