Three state governments are waging a legal battle against the seed industry over prices of Bt cotton seeds. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra have cases running in the state courts with the National Seeds Association of India for fixing prices of Bt cotton seeds. The association questioned the state governments’ authority in fixing prices, saying it would hamper seed research in the private sector. It says only the Union government can...
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Seed bill retake by Jyotika Sood
THE Union agriculture ministry will redraft the seed bill following complaints by MPs, states and farmer groups. Their main grouse is that the bill, which aims to regulate the quality of seeds, does not monitor their prices, crucial for farmers. The Seed Bill 2010 was approved by the Cabinet in March and was to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha in mid-April. Sources in the ministry said MPs and state government...
More »Buoyant Pepsi to take contract farming to troubled states by Seema Sindhu
Ram Prasad Ghosal, a potato farmer from Bamunpara (Dist Burdwan) in West Bengal, owns 10 acres of land. Just two months earlier, though, his ilk faced a major scare. The region witnessed a bumper potato crop of 9.5 million tonnes — 73 per cent higher than last year’s production. Wholesale prices in Kolkata crashed to Rs 300 a quintal. Retail prices, too, dropped to Rs 6-8 a kg. Farmers were...
More »Now, post offices to sell seeds to farmers by Sandip Das
DJ Parmar, the postmaster of Kukda village of Surendra Nagar district in Gujarat, besides handling letters and money orders, has now taken an additional responsibility. He will take orders from farmers for supplying of seeds prior to the forthcoming kharif sowing season. In the neighbouring Danawada village, post master VS Verma is also gearing up to take the additional responsibility for ensuring that quality seed reaches farmers on time. Thanks...
More »Grain banks guard against loan & seed sharks
This is a story of a bunch of gritty women in a small Andhra village who used their traditional resources and knowledge to fight poverty and create a source of livelihoods for others. A group of 34 women, most of them illiterate, at village Pyalayaram, which falls in Deccan region of Zaheerabad mandal in the state of Andhra Pradesh.decided to set up a community grain bank with a little help...
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