-The Indian Express Punjab is a case study in agricultural and economic mismanagement in India From the breadbasket of India, Punjab has become a basket-case economy. Endowed with ample water and good soil, Punjab’s happy, progressive people had a dream that is now a distant memory. Punjab’s decline started with its trifurcation. In its bid to establish a separate identity, the poli-tical establishment obsessed over a religious-political agenda and steered the state...

-The Hindu Traders say that basmati prices were expected to remain low this year as there had been an oversupply of the commodity in the international markets. Farmers of the aromatic, long-grain basmati rice in the grain bowl States of Punjab and Haryana are heading for yet another period of distress as the premium variety is fetching a price that is even below that of regular paddy. Sitting visibly distressed with his trolley...

-Livemint.com State seeks Rs300 crore more for drinking water supply and Rs750 crore for waiving off interest payments on loans New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh has declared 35 out of 51 districts in the state as drought affected and sought an initial central assistance of Rs.2,400 crore, indicating deepening rural distress. Karnataka, Maharashtra and Odisha have already declared parts of their state as drought affected. Madhya Pradesh finance minister Jayant Malaiya and agriculture minister...

-The Hindu Business Line 75% of those committed suicide were the ones who took land on rent Hyderabad: With the Telangana farmers continuing to end their lives, farmers’ leaders have begun to delve deep into the agrarian crisis. A study to analyse the issue found that about 70-75 per cent of all those who committed suicide were tenant farmers. This means that about 1,125 out of the 1,500 suicides reported – after the State...

-The Hindu The system brought down input costs — two to four kg of seeds per acre against 30 kg needed for fertiliser-based, water-intensive farming A model evolved for applying traditional wisdom in farming has also helped in conserving indigenous paddy varieties that are under threat of extinction. The Biodiversity Rainfed Farming System, promoted by Rural Organisation for Social Education, a not-for-profit voluntary organisation, in four blocks of Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu,...