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Guava farming takes the organic path

TNN Nov 28, 2012, 06.04AM IST ALLAHABAD: The pilot project of the district horticulture department to cultivate Allahabadi ‘Surkha’, also known as ‘apple-colour’, and Allahabadi Safeda varieties of guava through organic farming has yielded desired results in several blocks of the district. In fact, guava cultivation is taken up on around 1,000 hectare of land […]

Expert panel favours phasing out endosulfan

J. Venkatesan The Joint Expert Committee has informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that to exhaust the available stocks of the raw material, manufacture and use of endosulfan pesticide (which has now been banned) may be permitted for a period of two years. In its report submitted before a Bench of Justices Swatanter Kumar and […]

Farm trade paints an optimistic picture of the economy

By, Ashok Gulati and Surbhi Jain It has never happened since Independence. May be not even in the last 1,000 years what happened during October 2011-September 2012. India exported 10 million tons of rice, valued at around $6 billion, becoming the largest exporter of rice, replacing Thailand and Vietnam, generally the two largest exporters of […]

Bangalore emerging as a major city of ‘organic brands’

Bangalore, Nov 20:  BioFach India, an offshoot of World Organic Trade Fair BioFach in Nurnberg, plans to hold its organic fair in Bangalore from November 29 to December 1. The fourth edition of BioFach India 2012 by Nuremberg Messe is supported by the Karnataka Department of Agriculture and the International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture […]

Bangalore to host BioFach organic fair from November 29

BioFach India, an offshoot of World Organic Trade Fair BioFach, Nurnberg, will organize an organic fair at Palace Grounds from November 29 to December 1. The fourth edition of BioFach India 2012 is expected to attract visitors from production, manufacturing, trade and services and it is the single largest platform where stake-holders in the organic […]

Global retail chains put off India plans till next year

International multi-brand retail chains have all pushed their India plans to 2013, at least until after Christmas and New Year holidays, it is learnt. The September euphoria, after the Cabinet cleared up to 51 per cent FDI (foreign direct investment) in multi-brand retail, is giving way to doubt. Foreign players are expected to take critical […]

Transfer of officer probing bio-piracy case raises eyebrows

Subhash Chandra N S, Bangalore, Nov 20, 2012, DHNS: The State government has kicked up a row by transferring the deputy conservator of forests (DCF) probing the controversy of bio-piracy, involving Mahyco and University of Agriculture Sciences, Dharwad. Another officer has refused to be a complainant, thus violating the Biodiversity norms. Y Chakrapani, a second […]

‘Revert to traditional, holistic farming models’

Sustainable farming: The farmer should produce his own seed, fertiliser and other inputs at the local level, and should not depend on external market forces and technologies. VISAKHAPATNAM, NOV 16: Food security and sustainable farming – buzz words doing the rounds in elite circles – are not enough and it is time to move beyond […]

Khalsa College in Amritsar begins organic farming

Yudhvir Rana, TNN Nov 16, 2012, 09.09PM IST AMRITSAR: Khalsa College Amritsar (KCA) has decided to convert major share of its 200 acres farmland into organic farming. A beginning was made in this regard on Friday after the inaugural sowing of wheat at the farm where only organic ways of farming would be adopted and no […]

KSBB sounds a note of caution on biopiracy

T. NANDAKUMAR ‘Curb access to resources’ The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) has written to the government seeking steps to prevent local self-government institutions from providing unauthorised access to biological resources for foreign nationals. On Monday, KSBB member secretary K.P. Laladhas wrote to the Principal Secretary, Department of Environment, stressing the need to ensure that […]