The Hindu

Krishi Mela, a four-day annual demonstrative event of farm technologies organised by University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, attracted a good number of farmers on Sunday. People, who arrived from different parts of Hyderabad Karnataka region, particularly from Raichur district, were found enthusiastically visiting various stalls and collecting information about advanced farm equipment, technologies and crop varieties put on display.

The New Indian Express

While a majority of traditional paddy farmers in the tribal-dominated Sundargarh district are yet to take up crop cutting, a progressive farmer Bijay Xalxo in Lathikata block has completed cutting of scented Basmati paddy on 16 acres. Even as Xalxo waits for the paddy stocks to dry before being processed, he has started sowing mustard seeds on 30 acres, including the 16 acres, and sowing is underway.  Xalxo has set an example for other traditional farmers with his gradual shifting to mechanised farming.

The Indian Express

Odisha is one of the rare states that has enjoyed a long period of political stability and continuity in economic policies since March 2000, when Naveen Patnaik took over as chief minister for the first time. The state is also blessed with abundant natural resources, especially minerals, forests and groundwater. Given all this, Odisha should have been one of the richer states of India. But Odisha’s per capita income is the fifth lowest in the country and poverty the sixth highest amongst various states of India.

The Indian Express

THE Maharashtra government has drawn plans to bring additional 40 lakh hectares of land under irrigation, availing 83.3 per cent of the water storage in 3,037 dams across the state. The ambitious target aims to enhance the state’s irrigation potential, which has remained stagnant at 18 per cent for the last 15 years. The target for 2016-17 is being backed with the Vision Document and policy reforms in water management and changes in the crop pattern. Highly placed sources in the Ministry of Water Resources said the highest record of maximum land under irrigation in one year was 32 lakh hectares in the year 2005. “We can easily bring additional 40 lakh hectares under the command ...

The Hindu

Bali Ram, a 39-year-old farmer from Kaimla village in Karnal, around 120 km from Delhi, did not burn the paddy stubble in his fields this year for fear of being penalised. Despite the extra cost, he decided to plough his land with a tractor to get rid of the plant stalks. However, he conceded that most of the villagers in the area still preferred to burn the crop waste. “Burning the stubble seems to be the most convenient, cheap and pragmatic solution to get rid of it. Most of the farmers prefer to cut their crops using combine harvesters which do not cut crops close to the ground and leave the plant stalk, usually up to ...

The Hindu

Krishi Mela, a four-day annual demonstrative event of farm technologies organised by University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, attracted a good number of farmers on Sunday. People, who arrived from different parts of Hyderabad Karnataka region, particularly from Raichur district, were found enthusiastically visiting various stalls and collecting information about advanced farm equipment, technologies and crop varieties put on display.