Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has announced a Rs 8.5 crore package for assistance to farmers in the flood-affected areas of the state. The package includes free and subsidised seeds of different crops and additional fertilisers to the farmers. The flood-affected areas include Sirsa, Fatehabad, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and some parts of Karnal district. The stayte government will supply mini-kits of seeds of alternative crops like toria, hybrid bajra and...

The fraught issue of introduction of Bt Brinjal has been shelved but all eyes are now set on the controversial Seed Bill 2010, likely to be tabled in the monsoon session of Parliament beginning July 26. The bill aims to regulate the quality of seeds for sale, import and export and to facilitate production and supply of seeds of quality, but fails to address a crucial issue — seed pricing....

The government has come forward with a proposal to replicate the Chinese Green Revolution model in the eastern states and promote hybrid rice on a mission mode in the region. Taking a leaf from success stories in China, the Ministry has also proposed a task force on promotion of hybrid rice and envisioned pushing for private sector participation. Although a section of environmental activists in Kolkata have already raised their voice...

The government will enact a legislation to ensure subsidised wheat and rice to the poor, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said at a seminar titled Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern States. “We are committed to enacting a legislation on food security (called National Food Security Act). But to make it successful, we need to produce more, procure more and strengthen the delivery mechanism for making foodgrain accessible to the poor at affordable...

IT’S NOW “look east’’ policy for the Krishi Bhawan as well. Keen to extend the green revolution to the eastern states, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar will be holding a day-long conclave with top-level representatives from six states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal — at Kolkata on July 10. On the discussion table will be ways to augment agricultural productivity in this region so as to...