-The Pioneer Local crop varieties are resilient but ignored Recent reports that well-known plant scientist Debal Deb has found a traditional rice variety in West Bengal that contains silver and has medicinal properties, has aroused public interest. Who knew that a rice grain, or for that matter any plant variety, could naturally assimilate the precious metal from the soil? The discovery is a humbling reminder of the many mysteries that nature continues...

-Business Standard Says all Central decisions are in interest of farmers including the control price one Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Monday that the government would not allow seed companies such as US biotechnology major Monsanto to exploit Indian farmers. The government would continue to regulate seed prices in the interest of growers, he added. The minister’s comments sparked off a ‘sell’ in Monsanto India shares in the stock markets...

-NDTV Profit / Agencies US seed company Monsanto is welcome to leave India if it does not want to lower prices of genetically modified cotton seeds as directed by the government, a minister said on Wednesday, in a sign the rift between New Delhi and the firm is widening. The comments come as the government expects to develop its own genetically modified (GM) cotton varieties early next year to end Monsanto's dominance;...

-Livemint.com The Union government has cut the prices of genetically-modified cotton seeds and slashed royalty fees by 74% The Union government’s decision to cut the prices of genetically-modified (GM) cotton seeds, popularly known as Bt cotton, and slash royalty fees, will have a positive impact on cotton farming in Maharashtra, India’s top state in terms of area under cotton cultivation. The Maharashtra government’s agriculture officials, cotton growers and officials at the Nagpur-based...

-IndiaSpend Agro-companies growing crops are allowed the same tax relief as individuals in states levying no agricultural income tax Mt Abu: It’s reasonably well known that income from agriculture attracts no tax in India. What isn’t quite as well known is that of more than 400,000 taxpayers claiming exemption for agricultural income in the assessment year 2014-15, the biggest were seed giant Kaveri Seeds—it claimed Rs 186.63 crore exemption and made a profit...