-The Hindu Business Line Whether it is promoting a lease market in land or the use of Tractors, credit should be tailored to the needs of marginal players The Finance Minister has announced several measures to make farming competitive and rev up growth in agriculture. While this is welcome, the sector as a whole needs an overhaul to make best use of these measures. To address the needs of landless farmers who are...

-The Hindu Among various cash crops, turmeric has a potential market value all through the year since it is mainly used as a value added product. Erode is a turmeric cultivating hub in Tamil Nadu and almost all farmers in the region are growing this crop. But the main issue with this crop is that like paddy, it is labour intensive. A huge labour force is required for weeding, earthing, fertilizer application, harvesting...

-Deccan Herald The Green Revolution has changed life in Indian villages, but the main beneficiaries were the landlords. Daily labourers remain poor and marginalised. The limits of using ever more fertiliser and pesticides are becoming apparent. Many farmers are confused because extension services want them to reconsider practices they were told to abandon not that long ago. A member of the Santal tribe, an Adivasi community, assesses things from the village perspective. Since independence...

-The Hindustan Times Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab): With power crisis worsening in Punjab, farmers in the region have turned to innovations such as using Tractor batteries and generators to run tube wells for irrigation. Saying that paddy required plenty of water for cultivation, the farmers claimed the power cuts crippled water supply. On Friday, the PSPCL had decided to reduce power supply to farmers by two hours in order to facilitate better supply...

-The New Indian Express BELGAUM: Laxman Maruti Muchandi, a young farmer from Yallur near Belgaum, has found a novel way to cultivate his 4.5-acre field without using oxen or a Tractor. Muchandi has used a motorcycle to plough the field for sowing paddy. Muchandi said it was very difficult to get farm labourers. Some demanded Rs. 11,000 to plough his field, after which he decided to use his motorcycle. He used one-and-a-half litres...