-The Times of India For the state government, the protection and preservation of indigenous bulls is not a swift goal formed out of the jallikattu row, but a mandate under Article 48 of the Constitution of India. In the last few weeks, an argument that has repeatedly articulated itself is that the ban on jallikattu will decimate Tamil Nadu's Indigenous Cattle breeds. However, jallikattu is just one of the determining factors...

-TheWire.in To oppose the forest department’s plan to limit open grazing, the pastoral community is formally pursuing their collective land rights through the Forest Rights Act. The sun has not yet decided to rise. It’s pitch black out but a group of Maldharis has already assembled for the last session of this year’s milking competition. Their massive buffalos are majestically adorned with intricate garlands and colourful necklaces. The panch (group of five...

-TheWire.in For a community that trades in oxen, the rise in cow vigilantism has meant a loss of livelihood. Continued apathy from the state hasn’t helped. Rajasmand, Rajasthan: Dadri, Una and now Railmangra. How many more? Emboldened by their proximity to state power and riding the wave of religious fanaticism, self-appointed gau rakshaks have unleashed terror across the country. For communities that deal with cattle in any form, it has rapidly brought...

-The Indian Express The opposition’s main contention is that the GM mustard hybrid incorporates three alien genes — barnase, barstar and bar — rendering it inherently unsafe for human and animal health. Fifty years ago, Union Minister for Food and Agriculture Chidambaram Subramaniam took the decision to import 18,000 tonnes of seeds of Lerma Rojo 64A and Sonora 64 wheat from Mexico. The seeds arrived just in time for their planting in...

-The Indian Express In a scenario of depressed crop prices, a unique PPP model in milk shows the way out. Coimbatore: For roughly a decade from 2004-05 to 2013-14, Indian farmers experienced rising incomes from higher crop prices year after year — something they pretty much took for granted. That party ended with the crash in global commodity prices, hitting agricultural exports hard and translating into lower farm-gate realisations for most crops. But...