-Down to Earth The Centre had announced a scheme in the 2018-19 budget to upgrade rural haats so that small farmers could get fair prices for their produce It has been two years since an ambitious programme to convert 22,000 rural haats into Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs) was launched. But only 1,251 have come up till now. This is barely six per cent of the target. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told...

-Down to Earth There were growing concerns over resistance to streptomycin and tetracycline antibiotics The registration committee (RC) under the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) August 2021 approved the recommendation for phasing out the use of streptomycin and tetracycline, according to the availability of alternatives.  It has also highlighted the need for validation of available alternatives on a large scale in the field. These recommendations are made by a sub-committee formed by...

-Down to Earth All-year demand, the pressures of cultivating tomato off season and changing climate are making life difficult for Chittoor’s farmers Tomato prices across the country have shot through the roof recently. The government has intervened to lower the prices. But for farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district, one of India’s major tomato-growing areas, the government’s action show its bias for urban consumers and its neglect for rural farmers who are...

-Down to Earth Judgement against Pepsico potato variety sets precedent for all seed and food and beverages corporations not to transgress farmers’ seed rights and freedoms in India, experts say The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Authority December 3, 2021 revoked a PVP (plant variety protection) certificate granted to PepsiCo India Holding (PIH) on a potato variety (FL-2027) on multiple grounds.  This means that Pepsico’s Intellectual Property Right (IPR) granted...

-Down to Earth From floodplain identification to flood hazard map to availability of rain gauges, CAG report points out shortcomings in Kerala’s flood response Could poor response on part of the Kerala government have caused the massive floods of 2018 in the state? A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pointed at severe lapses on the part of the government in planning, capacity building, flood forecasting and dam...