-The Hindu Response to the three-day APEPDCL exhibition encouraging VISAKHAPATNAM: A space measuring about 25 sft on the rooftop is sufficient to install two 125 watts solar panels, which can light-up at least two lights and run two fans for a minimum of four hours. Installation would cost about Rs. 38,000, but it can reduce the electricity bill by about Rs. 200 on a monthly basis. And, more importantly, solar is green...

-The Hindu Thrissur (Kerala): Hard and dedicated work has won laurels for Samrudhi, a Kudumasree unit from Madakkathara. It has been chosen for the award best Agriculture operations among Kudumbasree units in Thrissur district. Samrudhi’s success story began three years ago when an MoU was signed between the district authorities of Kudumbasree and the Kerala Agricultural University t(KAU) o permit the 10-member unit to cultivate vegetables on a five-acre land of the...

-Business Standard Indian farming is labour intensive as mechanization is expensive. This model might change it while keeping the cost very low. The single biggest challenge in farming is debt. A large share of farmers’ insurmountable debt burden comes from purchase of farm equipment. Mechanized farming results in higher productivity but is notoriously capital intensive. A 40 HP tractor with 2 basic implements (a rotavator and a cultivator) and a trolley costs...

-Hindustan Times Bathinda: The whitefly attack on the cotton crop has escalated further in the past one week across the region, leaving the farming community in distress.  As the pest turns out to be a 'poison' for the crop, the farmers have started uprooting cotton plants from their fields in several areas of various districts. Even the repeated sprays of pesticide have proved to be ineffective in controlling the menace, which has...

-Down to Earth Despite being a world leader in pulses production, India has been forced to import due to crop loss and seed deficit. The sharp rise in prices is only a symptom Rani Devi, 47, is drying chickpea (chanaa daal) in Kuite Khera village of Uttar Pradesh. She intends to use them as seeds in the coming rabi season (October to December), as she is facing acute shortage of seeds....