The Centre will introduce new guidelines for releasing subsidies to farmers for the purchase of farm machinery and tools, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje has said. A major portion of the subsidy is at present set apart for the purchase of tractors and farmers are not able to purchase other farm machineries and tools required for their daily work, she said.  The minister asked youth...

-Deccan Herald Between 2005 and 2021, jowar, ragi and paddy lost nearly 7.77 lakh hectares (ha), 1.58 lakh ha and 44,000 ha respectively Paddy, jowar and ragi, the staple food grains of Karnataka, are slowly losing ground to commercial crops like maize, areca and cotton. Between 2005 and 2021, jowar, ragi and paddy lost nearly 7.77 lakh hectares (ha), 1.58 lakh ha and 44,000 ha respectively. The area under maize cultivation has expanded...

-The New Indian Express More than eight decades after the Temple Entry Proclamation, the untouchables' cannot take the 18-step stairway to the temple or directly drop money in the offertory plate! SWARGA (Kasaragod): Shri Jatadhari 'Devasthanam' (abode of god) is nestled in the middle of arecanut plantations of Brahmins. There is no motorable road to reach the centuries-old place of worship and devotees have to walk around 200m along the perennial Badiyar...

-The Hindu Business Line Trade sources feel this will give them access to the 10-million-tonne ASEAN market Bengaluru: At a time when domestic producers of commodities such as dairy and plantation products including coffee, tea, rubber, pepper and arecanut, among others, are wary of the proposed RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) deal, the Indian rice trade is keen that the cereal is included as part of the agreement as it could help...

-The New Indian Express The area under cultivation in Kerala has seen a major drop over the decades due to urbanisation. But there is an increased interest among the rural and urban folks to go back to agriculture. Kerala has long been a consumer state, depending on neighbours to meet its food requirements. Though the state has unique and diverse agro-climatic conditions in various regions, which enable it to cultivate many types...