The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has forecast improved wheat harvest in Pakistan in 2011 as the crop is expected to be 24 million tons, a three per cent increase over 23.3 million tons in 2010. World wheat production in 2011 has been forecast at 676 million tons, representing a growth of 3.4 per cent compared with 2010, according to the Crop Prospects and Food Situation report for March released by...

FAO's first forecast for world wheat production in 2011 stands at 676 million tonnes, representing a growth of 3.4 percent from 2010, the March 2011 edition of the Crop Prospects and Food Situation report said today. This level would still be below the bumper harvests in 2008 and 2009. Wheat plantings in many countries have increased or are expected to increase this year in response to strong prices, while Yield recoveries...

Farmers with irrigated fields in Punjab and Haryana will start sowing cotton in a fortnight. Agriculture department officials estimate a 10% to 15% increase in acreage this season as cotton has become more lucrative than paddy, basmati and pulses. Government's paddy procuring agencies and basmati exporters don't think that the staple's production will take a hit. "We estimate the area under cotton across the country to increase by 15% and prices will...

Food inflation snapped a three-week easing trend in mid-March and fuel inflation remained at elevated levels, keeping pressure on the Reserve Bank to rein in broader inflation. The food price index rose an annual 10.05% in the week to March 12, higher than a 9.42% rise in the previous week as prices of potatoes and vegetables rose, data released on Thursday showed. The fuel price index climbed 12.79% in the same week,...

India's rural innovators have proved that ordinary people are indeed capable of extraordinary inventions. Despite many constraints -- lack of education and severe cash crunch -- most of them have succeeded in using technology cost-effectively to build ingenious products. A washing-cum-exercise machine, hand operated water lifting device, portable smokeless stove, automatic food making machine, solar mosquito killer, shock proof converter, a floating toilet soap are few of the products on display...