Beetles, caterpillars, wasps can supplement diets, give nutrition and create employment, says FAO

Introduction of the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill has brought cheers to the agri-biotechnology industry that was facing a setback following states’ refusal to conduct GM field trials. V Ram Kaundinya, chairperson of the country’s largest agri-biotech association ABLE-AG, shares his views with Jyotika Sood. Excerpts from the interview:

Lack of specific method in determining minimum support price of grains caused variation in margins over production, says report

Only 54.6 per cent of total workers in India are now part of the agriculture sector

EU-India FTA must pass Parliament scrutiny before it is signed, says panel chairperson

Biodiversity board in Madhya Pradesh challenges coal companies

Bikaneri Narma fraud investigator Soporoy made co-chairperson

Serious lapses and errors in over 20 per cent cases test-checked; many deserving farmers left out

Even as Bt cotton invaded Indian fields in the past few years, some farmer groups kept pushing for organic cotton. In 2009-10, production in India propelled world organic cotton production to an all-time high of 241,697 tonnes. But soon, many farmers realised that organic farming takes years of sustained efforts to get full benefits. With no support from government, that favours Bt cotton, many farmers are reverting to chemical farming.

Aparna Pallavi reports from the cotton belt of Maharasthra and Madhya Pradesh, and M Suchitra from Andhra Pradesh. Jyotika Sood writes about international non-profits that are venturing into alternative methods of sustainable cotton production

Studies needed to ascertain if freak weather linked to climate change, say Met scientists

It will increase farm mechanisation and help achieve projected demand of 280 million tonnes foodgrains by 2020

Punjab farmers burn straw after harvest. It is time to exploit the potential of this agro-waste

Say linking cash transfers with Aadhaar will cause problems

Reports say the retail giant spent over Rs 125 crore on lobbying in India

Conserving genetic purity of 750 varieties of rice with limited resources like a small piece of land and no workforce is a major challenge. Debal Deb tells Jyotika Sood how he manages this genetic treasure

Industry clueless about implementing labelling rule; FSSAI dithers over regulations

Despite demand and production, farmers lose to futures trading

Plant stubble burning shows up as red dots in satellite image

These include three village panchayats, two tiger reserves and informal network of forest protection committees

Urban areas set to triple by 2030; population to touch 4.9 billion

Meet Jaganath Singh who has been treating farm animals with herbs and plants for the past 80 years

Benefits of the Act that encourages conservation of plants reach few farmers

India is hailed as a pioneer in implementing the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity—fair and equitable sharing of the benefits resulting from the use of genetic resources—and its laws to conserve biodiversity and protect traditional knowledge have been held up as examples for the world. Latha Jishnu looks at how well the regulations are working in practice and the issues that people and institutions are grappling with to safeguard the country’s ecological heritage. Jyotika Sood travels across Madhya Pradesh and M Suchitra to Kerala to discover that people are yet to benefit from the natural wealth around them because building awareness at the grassroots has barely begun

There is disquiet over government scheme to wean traditional millet farmers on chemical inputs

The parliamentary committee on agriculture has strongly criticised the regulatory system on genetically modified (GM) crops in the country, calling it inadequate and ineffective. N Seetharama executive director of Association of Biotech Led Enterprises–Agriculture Group (ABLE-AG), the industry lobby for GM crops, talks to Jyotika Sood on how they see the report and its implications. Edited excerpts

Tribal farmers in Jharkhand use mora made of rice straw to store grains

Organic is all the rage. Organic food, cosmetics, clothes and even organic medicines. But mostly it is food. There are speciality stores that sell only such items, while supermarket chains are stocking more of these products which are sold at a premium and come with certification that it is grown without chemical inputs and synthetic additives. But as Middle India discovers the virtues of naturally grown food, thanks to increasing awareness about the dangers of high pesticide use in conventional farming, it raises fundamental questions about Indian agriculture and the path it needs to take, especially in view of climate change concerns. Latha Jishnu and Jyotika Sood go to the roots of the organic phenomenon to understand the changes taking place in farmers’ fields and the policies that are driving organic agriculture, or holding it back

Rice is a staple diet for many. But a recent study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) under the United States department of agriculture has found that rising levels of carbon dioxide are causing natural transfer of genes from weedy rice to domesticated rice. This is worrisome because it can hit production of rice. Jyotika Sood talks to Lewis H Ziska, plant physiologist with ARS and lead author, about the implications

Delayed monsoons, high input cost make farmers shift to guar, groundnut and pulses

Participants attending conference to review Bt cotton call for extensive investigation into all aspects of cotton production before drawing conclusions

Parliamentary panel makes recommendations on land acquisition Bill

It took two years to investigate bio-piracy allegations regarding use of  indigenous brinjal varieties to create India's first transgenic crop  

Jyotika Sood finds out how farmers in the Himalaya manage food round the year

Company asked to dismantle coal-fired power plant in Solan

Genetically modified (GM) mustard hybrid DMH-11 developed by Delhi University’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants ran into trouble in March when the Rajasthan government suddenly withdrew permission for the field trials. Developed after 16 years of research by Deepak Pental, director of the centre, the GM mustard is being promoted by the National Dairy Development Board, which supplies cooking oil to the domestic market under the brand Dhara. So far the board, along with the Department of Biotechnology and the European Union among others, has put in around Rs 45 crore in this project which uses the interplay of the barnase and barstar genes to produce high oil yielding mustard (Brassica juncea). These genes come from a soil bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. In an interview to Latha Jishnu and Jyotika Sood, Pental explains why it is important for India to move forward in research on transgenic crops. Excerpts:

State was supplying the seeds under brand name Prabal to tribal farmers

Centre forms expert committee to frame policy to check residues in fruits, vegetables

Say does not increase farmers’ income

Bench says no tree can be felled without prior permission of tribunal

Promise clean air and water; subsidies on solar appliances

Biotech regulatory panel overlooked violation

Plant site is fertile land and sustains 10,000 people

Environment ministry clears hydro project rejected twice by its advisory committee

ICAR, agricultural universities and state agriculture departments issue advisories, alerts

As India gets ready to unleash a vast number of genetically modified (GM) food crops, politicians have joined activists in opposing engineered crops. This is snowballing into a volatile political issue with states refusing to let the Centre have the final say in the matter. A number of chief ministers have objected to field tests of GM crops being conducted in their backyard, while some have declared that their states will be GM-free, citing health and environmental concerns. The political standoff comes against the worrying backdrop of slipshod regulation. Not only is illegal herbicide-tolerant cotton spreading across the country, biosafety regulations are being openly flouted by private crop developers acting in collusion with public research institutions. At the same time the industry is demanding a dilution of the rules on field tests and other regulations. Latha Jishnu and Jyotika Sood uncover the mess in GM crops

India produces about 400,000 tonnes of electronic waste each year, growing exponentially. Handling this is a great challenge. What adds to it is the fact that the country is one of the lead importers of all kinds of waste—hazardous included. Almost all of this is recycled or scrapped by the unorganized sector using the most rudimentary methods that pollute. Our reporters found a thriving ‘illegal’ trade and dangerous working conditions. The environment ministry’s answer has been to grant its first and only licence to import e-waste to a company called Attero Recycling—to encourage its Roorkee plant, which it calls a model. Our reporters found Attero reselling  e-waste instead of recycling it. The ministry’s regulatory attempts do not recognize the small players who actually  recycle e-waste, found out  Ruhi Kandhari, Jyotika Sood and photographer Sayantan Bera

Mani Chinnaswamy’s contract farming model has prompted IIM graduates to study his Appachi formula. After all, it gives farmers the right to bargain the price of their produce with the buyer. Talking to Jyotika Sood, the entrepreneur shares the hurdles in the implementation of the formula and its potential to change farmers’ lives
 

P Chengal Reddy is general secretary of the Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA)—an organisation that claims to represent 40 million farmers. He is also part of the league that supports FDI in retail sector. He spoke to Jyotika Sood on how FDI can help Indian farmers.

The demand for universal public distribution system is justified, says Congress leader and former cabinet minister Mani Shankar Aiyar. He spoke to Jyotika Sood on what made him join the Right for Food Campaign at Jantar Mantar on November 29. Excerpts:

Karnataka and Maharashtra farmers get much less, stage protests
 

Central ministries disagree on minimum support price for wheat

It is protein products, not wheat and rice that are pushing food price index

Workers in other states could take cue from Karnataka

Minimum export price fixed at US $475 a tonne. Will it profit farmers?

Biotech firms object to states getting a say in approving GM crop trials

'EIA should be conducted to decide if road can be built or should be scrapped'

Pro Bt Brinjal group releases a report challenging contention that the vegetable is used in medicine

Draft land bill proposes higher compensation for land acquisitions, but complaints persist
 

Mahyco claims innocence, alleges violation by Dharwad University

A new Indian study says yes, but scientists differ
 

Decision likely after Madhya Pradesh incurred huge crop losses in January

Department of Biotechnology is playing venture capitalist to private companies to push biotech research in agriculture

Scientists contest an age-old agricultural technique

Kerala and Bihar want amendments

Four states to cultivate iron-rich pearl millet by 2012

Freak weather destroys crops across India

It distributed Monsanto’s hybrid maize seeds that were not recommended for the state

Job cards of many to expire in 2011 and renewal would take time

Debate continues despite consensus to ban geoengineering

Opposition parties say the draft is still not farmer-friendly

Unions demand individual coverage

Farmers fear losses in spite of predictions of a bumper harvest

Uttar Pradesh is set to begin work on its ambitious expressway along the Upper Ganga Canal, turning a blind eye to environmental concerns and risking the 155-year-old canal

Kilns reduce soil nutrition, stunt vegetation

Farmers sidelined in draft national fibre policy

Genetic approval committee rejects transgenic groundnut

Snowfall in the Himalaya and Tibetan plateau affects monsoon
 

It carries Meerut’s industrial waste, sewage and carcasses
 

A hit-and-run case in Bandhavgarh. Who did it?

Should states or private seed companies  regulate price of Bt cotton seed?
 

Atomic energy board forgot gamma irradiators purchased before 1983
 

In addition to conducting financial audits, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), VINOD RAI, has decided to conduct a social and environmental audit. He spoke to JYOTIKA SOOD about his department's decision to audit pollution of drinking water sources in the country

Doaba farmers have more potatoes than they can sell or store