-Down to Earth Antibiotics are indiscriminately used on food crops in several parts of the country, adding to the burden of antibiotic resistance    Dharampal Singh just cannot stop admiring the cauliflowers glistening with beads of dew on his farm near the Yamuna banks in Delhi. Next to the plot, rows of radishes, spinach, fenugreek and bottle gourds lie shining in the morning sun. “These untainted vegetables fetch me a premium in the...

-The Hindu Business Line Farmers, reeling under crop losses, feel the Centre’s crop insurance scheme is merely helping insurance firms make profits. Radheshyam Jadhav reports After completing his graduation, Ramkisan Nirmal took up a challenge. Unlike other youths who prefer to migrate to nearby cities in search of jobs, Ramkisan dreamed of becoming a farmer and prove that with modern technology and efforts, agriculture could become a profitable venture. In his drought-prone village...

-The Indian Express Government has called for import of 1 lakh tonnes of onion to help control rising prices. What has been causing the increase in prices since May, and how far can the new move be expected to reverse the trend? Pune: LAST WEEK, Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, directed the state-owned trading corporation MMTC to import 1 lakh tonnes of onions to help ease...

-Down to Earth Although the actual amount of fines charged was not available; farmers continue to burn residues every season Crop residue burning in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh has been known, but nowadays it's spreading more frequently in other parts of country. Wheat stubble burning is a relatively new issue which started with mechanised Harvesting using combine Harvesters. In the last four to five years, farmers from UP’s Ghazipur district, especially...

-Orissapost.com Cuttack: In a bid to ensure transparency in paddy procurement, the state government is mulling introduction of iris recognition for farmers while selling the Harvest at paddy procurement centres. According to sources, all paddy procurement centres (mandis) will be provided with iris scanners by the beginning of this kharif procurement season. “Farmers will be enrolled for the iris-scanning wherein the central server will store pictures of their unique iris. A farmer visiting...