-The Telegraph Guwahati: The Northeast has seen more than four-time jump in farmers' suicides from 21 in 2014 to 95 cases last year. The region also saw 105 suicides by agricultural workers last year, mostly in Assam and Tripura, revealed the report on suicides in the farming sector of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2015. Farmers' suicides have assumed serious proportions mostly in western and southern states. This rise in suicides in the...

-The Times of India CHENNAI: Failure of monsoon and farmers' distress have forced the state government to scale down the target for foodgrains production for the next financial year to 100 lakh tonnes, a 32% fall from the initial target set for the current financial year. Announcing this while presenting the budget, finance minister D Jayakumar said a slew of measures was being taken to overcome the water shortage. Considering that...

-The Indian Express Chitale said the government should invest in infrastructure for the agriculture sector to help double production. Mumbai: Water management expert Dr Madhav Chitale believes a loan waiver is not a solution to agrarian crisis. He says such populist measures often pitched by politicians never serve the larger objective of farmer welfare. “If any government is attempting such a decision, it can be best described as ‘tatpurta malam patti’ (temporary...

-The Indian Express There are about 44,000 villages in the state and it is an uphill task for the agency to monitor the ground water table for nearly double the number of wells. Pune: THE MAHARASHTRA government has roped in about 30,000 Jal Surakshaks to monitor the groundwater situation even at micro -levels, including panchayats and blocks. The water care-takers, hired by the Ground Water Survey and Development Agency (GSDA), at...

-Down to Earth It is estimated that saving one-fourth of the food currently lost or wasted globally would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people in the world Agriculture, along with its allied sectors, is the largest source of livelihood in India. About 82 per cent of the country’s farmers are small and marginal, having holdings less than one hectare. Over the years, Irrigation potential has increased largely due to increased...