-The Hindu Kalpetta (Kerala): A sharp decline in the price of green tea leaves, shortage of workers, and dearth of tea processing factories in the public sector have hit small-scale tea growers in Wayanad district. The spot price of green leaves on Saturday was Rs.8 a kg against Rs.13 a kg during the corresponding period last year. ‘‘We are forced to sell our produce at a throw away price to agents from Tamil...
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Over 80% farmers in Haryana are debt-ridden: Study -Amaninder Sharma
-The Times of India PATIALA (Punjab): Even as Haryana is going to elections amid political parties' claims about development, a recently published study in a reputed economic journal has revealed that over 80% farmers in the state are reeling under debt. The study also exposed that nearly a same number of farmers are living below poverty line if one goes by the World Bank's definition of "moderate poverty", which means an earning...
More »Farming in a fragmented landscape -T Ramakrishnan
-The Hindu Average size of landholding has shrunk to 0.80 hectares during 2010-11 Chennai: Land available for farming in Tamil Nadu is going down year by year. There seems no end to fragmentation. According to the latest report of the Department of Evaluation and Applied Research (DEAR) on the State's economic appraisal for the period from 2011-12 to 2013-14, the average size of landholding has shrunk from 1.45 hectares during 1970-71 to 0.80...
More »India's farm sops under lens at WTO -Sidhartha
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The United States and Pakistan have questioned several of India's farm trade policies, including its land holding laws and the subsidy mechanism at the World Trade Organization, which is the latest assault being faced by the country after it raised the red flag over domestic support to farmers in Bali. Since the Bali ministerial meeting last December, WTO members have repeatedly put the lens on India's...
More »Where Do They Squat? -Santosh Mehrotra
-Outlook Build toilets. But more important, get communities to change ways. Vidya Balan, the Bollywood star and ambassador of the Indian government's programme for building household toilets, asks the mother-in-law who is busy toying with her bahu's ghunghat at the wedding ceremony: "Do you have a toilet at home for the daughter-in-law to use?" Mum-in-law replies: "No." Vidya then asks her, "Then why are you extending her ghunghat so much when you...
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