-The Hindu State Agriculture Department asks Farmers to keep a vigil on the crop and not panic; runs awareness and training campaigns to combat the threat Chandigarh: With whitefly sighted in the cotton belt districts of Punjab due to the prevailing hot and humid weather conditions, the Agriculture Department has asked Farmers to keep a vigil, besides running awareness and training campaigns to combat the threat. “The next 15-20 days are critical. We...

-Livemint.com Unlike the dhoti-clad, topi-wearing quintessential ‘kisan’, the new Indian farmer is vocal and tech-savvy New Delhi: In the winter of 1988 when the feisty farmer leader from Uttar Pradesh, Mahendra Singh Tikait, laid siege to Delhi with thousands of cultivators and their cattle literally creating a mess of the boat club lawns, agriculture’s share in India’s gross domestic product (GDP) was about 30%. About three decades later, the farm sector’s share in...

-Mumbai Mirror A behind the scenes look at what’s driving the region’s return to traditional paddy techniques. It’s certainly not the global shift towards organic cultivation. A recent study conducted by Harvard University has established that consuming just one cup of white rice (polished rice) a day can put you at risk of diabetes, regardless of your nationality or whether you have a family history of the disease. Bhairav Saini lives in...

-The Times of India GURUGRAM: They had given up their land in hope that the local economy would develop and create jobs that would sustain livelihoods not only for them but the next generation. Fourteen years on, no industrial project has come up on the nearly 1,600 acres of land, a massive sprawl across the villages of Gadoli Khurd, Harsaru, Khandsa, Mohammadpur and Narsinghpur, acquired by the government, farming does not happen...

-Livemint.com Under the flagship crop insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Rs5,875 crore, or just 45%, has been paid to Farmers, agriculture ministry data shows New Delhi: Farmers who suffered crop losses in 2016-17 are yet to receive insurance compensation for 55% of estimated claims under the flagship Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), shows latest numbers from the agriculture ministry. The data shows that insurance companies collected Rs22,338 crore in 2016-17...