-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Changiram, a farmer from Kota's Darbheeji village, had sown his four-hectare land with wheat, investing around Rs 80,000 in seeds, fertilizers and labour. He expected to earn around Rs 4 lakh. But unseasonal rains and hailstorms in March damaged more than 70% of his crop, leaving him insolvent and staring at a bleak future. Changiram's plight mirrors that of tens of thousands of farmers across the...

-The Indian Express Indian farmers are under stress this year. Earlier, many of them lost their crops in the kharif season, which was almost a drought with monsoon rains falling 12 per cent below their long-period average. Now unseasonal rains have impacted them adversely in the rabi season. Agri-GDP growth this year, expected to be a meagre 1.1 per cent before the unseasonal rains, may fall flat to just zero, if...

-NDTV Yavatmal, Maharashtra: Another fresh spell of heavy unseasonal rains lashed large parts of Maharashtra on Sunday evening, again hitting the spirit of already-beleaguered farmers. Many districts in Vidarbha, Marathawada and western Maharashtra were hit by strong showers and hailstorms accompanied by gusty winds, damaging the standing rabi crop. Wheat, soya bean, jowar and fruits like watermelon and grapes were all set to be harvested. But the fresh showers have further damaged...

-Deccan Herald Make new entrants provide 40 per cent risk coverage to the farming sector on a household basis. Unseasonal rains and strong winds that lashed the entire north-western region have done immense damage to the standing crops. The Union Ministry of Agriculture has estimated damage to standing crops in 50 lakh hectares in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Coming after an extended...

-Business Standard A slew of measures taken by the Chhattisgarh government had reportedly helped in enhancing the kharif acreage in the pockets affected by the Naxal violence A slew of measures taken by the Chhattisgarh government had reportedly helped in enhancing the kharif acreage in the pockets affected by the Naxal violence. The authorities have compiled the figure for Narayanpur - country's one of the worst Naxal-infested districts reportedly housing the headquarters of...