-The Hindu Caterpillar infestation and continuous drought have hit yield Ramanagaram: The precarious groundwater situation and the black-headed caterpillar infestation have hit coconut growers in Ramanagaram district. Coconut is grown on nearly 12,000 hectares in the district, with growers here supplying at least four crore tender coconuts annually to various parts of the country. This year, however, they have been forced to axe thousands of dying trees over the past two months. Along...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: If Delhi government has to make sure that residents don't eat pesticide-laced food, it will have to push neighboring states to reduce their pesticide usage. Most of Delhi's fruits and vegetables come from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Agricultural experts say that while High Court-appointed panel's recommendations on monitoring pesticide residue levels are welcome, much more needs to be done. According to the latest report...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: A Central government panel has recommended stringent checks for Pesticides in fruits and vegetables, including imported ones. Submitting a report before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Jayant Nath on Wednesday, the panel - led by a health ministry official - is for intensive monitoring of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables sold in Delhi. The experts committee, chaired by Sandhya Kulshrestha, was...

-The Hindu Stockholm convention approves non-chemical as well as chemical alternatives THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Conference of Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, meeting in Geneva, approved non-chemical as well as chemical alternatives to endosulfan on Thursday. The non-chemical alternatives were proposed in a significant departure from past practice. The evaluation of non-chemical alternatives, as accepted by the conference, consists of an ecosystem-based approach to pest management as well as technical interventions. C....

-Live Mint Subsidized loans given to farmers through KCCs could very well be the next big source of NPAs for banks Mumbai: A surge in exposure to farm debt through Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) could emerge as a risk for India's state-run banks, according to experts. Subsidized loans are given to farmers through KCCs by state-owned banks. Until March 2012, the outstanding amount on such loans was`1.6 trillion through 20.3 million cards, as...