-Livemint.com US declares special and differential treatment a ‘threshold’ issue, implying that all developing countries will not be treated on par with regard to farm and fisheries subsidy programmes Geneva: Millions of poor farmers and fishermen in India could lose the benefits of special programmes offered by the government on account of a sustained assault on farm and fisheries subsidies by the US. Washington has declared special and differential treatment (S&DT) a...

-The Hindu CHINNAMANUR (Tamil Nadu): Paddy growers in Cumbum valley have successfully harvested rice fallow pulses, third crop in a year, thanks to summer rain in the last month. They had raised green gram in lands where they harvested paddy, the second crop in the valley. Summer rain had kept the paddy field wet after harvest, which was sufficient to raise the third crop. “To capitalise on the summer rain, we had recommended...

-The Financial Express The Narendra Modi government has pledged to employ all machinery at its disposal to deal with a second straight year of deficient monsoon. The Narendra Modi government has pledged to employ all machinery at its disposal to deal with a second straight year of deficient monsoon and denied an impending distress in the vulnerable pockets of the country, but a dispassionate look at the ground situation would show there...

-The Hindu The Modi government is determined to dismantle the two-pronged welfare paradigm. It is now an established fact that one area where the Narendra Modi administration has acted with a sense of purpose, urgency and resolve is in slashing social expenditure. Be it education, health, agriculture, livelihood security, food security, panchayati raj institutions, drinking water or the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes sub-plan, central government funds earmarked for social protection have been cut. The...

-The Tribune Transformative approaches to agriculture are the need of the hour. For this, we have to impart climate resilience and rehabilitate economically stressed farming communities of agriculturally developed regions. Since more than two decades now, farmers have been committing suicides in India, a fact that reflects the harsh realities of farming. Most of these farmers were traditional family farmers, leading a lifestyle based on traditions and beliefs. The intensive commercial commodity-based...