Experts slam trial for new Bt brinjal variety, cite regulatory lapses

The Event 142 variety of genetically modified brinjal was quietly approved for field trials without any data in the public domain, claim experts

Agriculture sector has beaten pandemic, latest GDP figures show

Estimate for June quarter reported a contraction of 23.9 per cent in national GDP, but agriculture was the only sector to have reported positive …

Activists object to food safety draft issued by FSSAI for GM crops; demand amendments

FSSAI notification lacks tests for potential toxicity, allergenicity and checking for long-term effects

Can sugar beet make sugar production in India sustainable

Growing sugarcane, especially in Maharashtra, is not sustainable any longer, because of severely depleted groundwater levels along the state’…

Bt Brinjal – the war goes on

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

Regulatory battle

Industry and activists have expressed conflicting opinions on GM crops. GEAC has a difficult decision to make

GM food debate hots up again

Gilles-Eric Seralini, one of the first scientists to warn the world about the dangers of genetically modified food, counters pro-GM scientists in …

After broken dam wrecked this Punjab village twice, farmers decided to take matters into own hands

Overflowing Ghaggar river broke banks in July, destroyed Kharif paddy; villagers blame state government for disrepair

Act of omission

Public institutions do not seek permission from the biodiversity authority before genetically manipulating crops

Bamboo flowering

People in northeast India fear bamboo flowering. According to an ancient belief when bamboos flower, there is death and destruction.

Karnataka High Court issues notice to National Biodiversity Authority on charges of paving way for biopiracy

Petition by a non-profit accuses authority of callousness towards protecting the country's biodiversity

Debating science risks

Chinese scientists appear to be more open to discussing the risks and ethics of new technologies than their Indian counterparts

Crazy GM patent system

The Brazilian lawsuit against Monsanto’s royalty on soybean seeds exposes the irrational way in which laws apply to GM crops

Sustainability increases if ethanol is made from sugarcane juice: Study

Sugarcane cultivation has benefitted from entrenched policies that incentivised production for decades

Tree-planting campaigns can reduce, not improve biodiversity, shows study

Tree plantations can contradict the real purpose of planting trees, according to the study

Submission to parliamentary committee on agriculture regarding GM crops

Memorandum to the Committee on Agriculture with views on “Cultivation of Genetically Modified Food Crops – Prospects and Effects&…

The escape route

Punjab, which accounts for only 1.5 per cent of the total geographical area of the country, cannot continue producing for the whole country. It …

Cancer-struck

Incidence of cancer and other diseases have increased. But callous officials prefer to call it a 'coincidence'

Punjab: end of the revolution ?

Cost of production has spiralled, but the rate of increase in production has not shown a similar trend. Ecological and social costs, meanwhile, …

Kharif crops take a severe hit by intense and unprecedented rainfall across India

IMD advises farmers to drain maize fields, delay sowing paddy in several states  

What do science-based targets to limit climate change really look like?

Commitment to climate justice demands that rich countries make deeper cuts to their emissions than merely equalising per-capita emissions by 2030

Biotechnology Bill: deadline for public feedback extended

Parliamentary committee has extended date till August 25; activists demand public consultations across the country in regional languages

India cannot afford organic farming

S K SINHA national professor at the Water Technology Centre, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, spoke to Manish Tiwari on food …

Children of endosulfan

Several unusual diseases afflict a Kerala village. Residents blame aerial spraying of the pesticide endosulfan by the Plantation Corporation of …

India's nutritional puzzle

From the maw of the Indian state there has emerged an undigested piece of development cake: nutritionally speaking, people's diets are out of …