Agriculture ministry data shows area under rice cultivation in Punjab this season reached a record high of 32.46 lakh hectares. Yet, the produce is lowest ‘since 2016’.
Farmers have complained of low yield & procurement issues with the Punjab Agricultural University-developed variety. Oppn says govt promoted it without proper yield testing.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann thanked farmers for accepting the ban and staying away from the water-guzzling paddy variety Pusa-44. But convincing them about the larger public good is a work-in-progress.
Haryana govt says farmers already being incentivised for sowing crops other than 'non-native' paddy. Farmers, though, point out wheat & paddy both came to the region with green revolution.
2009 law restricts the sowing & transplantation period of paddy to monsoon, resulting in delayed harvesting & purportedly less time to prepare the field for wheat, leading to stubble burning.
Stunting is being caused by Southern Rice Black-streaked Dwarf virus, which has previously led to yield losses in China, Vietnam & Japan, finds Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
Mystery disease cause for worry in high rice-yielding states of Punjab, Haryana, western UP, and Uttarakhand. Experts to rule out possible causes through DNA, RNA sequencing tests.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Modi, approved the increase in MSPs for all 14 kharif crops for 2022-23 crop year.
KCR was joined by farmer leader Rakesh Tikait and TRS MPs & MLAs at protest in Delhi. Amid chants of 'Jai KCR', Telangana CM taunted Piyush Goyal as 'Piyush Golmaal'.
Clean energy is “no longer the sideshow, it is the show”, BVR Subrahmanyam told the Odisha summit, warning India to lead the global shift or risk others’ tech dominance.
Dubai airshow crash & pilot death have rekindled concerns over pilot safety, and need for smarter automated systems that can step in when G-forces, temporary loss of consciousness hit the pilot.
None of Pakistan’s PMs has lasted 5 years. That the current PM has given Asim Munir 5 years shows that of all military dictatorships history has seen, Pakistan’s is most creative.
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