-The New Indian Express BHUBANESWAR: In a State where agriculture continues to be the mainstay of livelihood for the majority, the spate of farmer suicides has not really come as a surprise. Or has it? With agriculture turning into a non-remunerative business and State’s farm sector remaining largely rain-fed, climatic changes have been sounding the warning bells but the Government saw no danger. Its self-assuredness that minimum support price (MSP) only is...

-Livemint.com The govt did increase compensation for crop damage to 50% and even relaxed norms for claims but farmers will get less than a fifth of what they have lost to drought New Delhi: In April, Narendra Modi announced an increase in compensation for crop damage, a move the prime minister termed as a landmark decision and one that will impose a great burden on his government. His announcement followed unseasonal...

-Rediff.com Potshangbam Devakanta from Manipur shows the way in conserving the biodiversity of the state, farming around 100 traditional varieties of paddy and rare medicinal plants, finds Manu A B/Rediff.com. When farmers across India are grappling with weather woes and poor yields, Potshangbam Devakanta from Manipur has succeeded in adopting smart and eco-friendly methods of farming to ensure his harvest is satisfactory year after year. Like thousands of farmers in India, 60-year-old Devakanta...

-The Pioneer Raipur: Chhattisgarh the rice bowl of India has managed to maintain stable paddy production this year despite drought conditions prevailing in several districts of the State. The Indira Gandhi Agricultural University (IGAU) Scientists claim that except rainfall dependent fields which were devoid of showers, other regions in the State have continued to maintain the ‘good old agricultural standards’. “It is appreciable to notice that paddy farming had been carried out in...

-The Hindu The variety is locally known as ‘Damberasali’ SIRSI (Karnataka): Amid reports of paddy crops affected by a deficient monsoon in Malnad this year, a young farmer in Hakkalkeri near Bedasgaon in Mundgod taluk is cultivating a rare variety that is drought resistant. Maryappa Choudappa Naik, a young farmer of Hakkalkeri brought 25 kg of ‘Raksha 10.5’ variety of paddy seeds from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra and noticed during the harvest that...