Even as the state sugar commissionerate has predicted a surplus sugarcane crop this year, farmers have a different take. They allege that this is a “ploy by co-operatives and the commissionerate” so that defunct sugar mills can be started again. Also, sugar prices are likely to see a sharp fall in the wake of the forecast. As per the official figures, Maharashtra is likely to produce around 8.5 million tonnes of...

Farmer organisations Shetkari Sanghatna and the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna are up in arms over the delay in announcing the first payment instalment for sugarcane by sugar factories in the state. Normally, the sugar factories announce the first instalment before starting of the actual crushing. This is done mainly to ensure supply of adequate and quality sugarcane. This year, there is excess production of sugarcane and many factories have not yet announced...

The genetic diversity of the plants that we grow and eat and their “wild relatives” could be lost forever, threatening future food security, unless special efforts are stepped up to not only conserve but also utilize them, especially in developing countries. This is one of the key messages of the second report on The State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, launched today by FAO.   The...

Farmers from Vidarbha and Marathwada regions will hold Maharashtra's first 'Kapus Parishad' (Cotton Conclave) here Oct 26 where they will demand higher prices for cotton, an activist said here Sunday. Organised by NGO Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), the conference will seek the government's intervention in increasing the prices of raw cotton from the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs.3,000 per quintal to Rs.4,500 per quintal. 'Cotton is the biggest cash crop...

After months of public and internal debate, the National Advisory Council (NAC) — an organisation whose clout and significance derive from the fact that Sonia Gandhi chairs it — has put forth a set of recommendations for the National Food Security Act. The core recommendations are to provide legal entitlements to cereals for 75 per cent of India's population, that is, 90 per cent of the rural population and the...