As no stranger to earthquakes and tsunamis, Japan has long mastered the art of overcoming natural disasters. Sophisticated engineering has spawned shock-resistant construction and meticulous preparedness manuals. Even an elementary school student knows what to do in a crisis. But, the latest jolt might not go away so easily. The tsunami that
India faces a reversal in cotton business
18/07/2011 by
India, the world’s second biggest exporter of cotton, could turn into an importer within three or four years because of falling yields, forcing the country’s textile mills to compete for supplies with the top importer, China. Despite rising acreage, India’s cotton yields are down to about 475 kilograms per hectare, or 425 pounds per acre, […]
83rd Foundation Day of ICAR: Manmohan stresses on second green revolution
18/07/2011 by
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) held its 83rd Foundation Day in New Delhi on Saturday. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, delivered the ICAR Foundation Day Lecture on the occasion. Harish Rawat, union minister of state for agriculture, food processing industries and parliamentary affairs; and
Food Security Threatens Asia’s Potential.
16/06/2011 by
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Asia could be “the continent of the future” but must first confront the challenges of rising demand for food, energy and water. This was said by Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono while speaking on Sunday at the start of a two-day World Economic Forumon East Asia, an event drawing political leaders and industry […]
Fruit, vegetable exporters want Torkham border opened
16/06/2011 by
PESHAWAR: Farmers and exporters of fruits and vegetables have suggested to the government to make arrangements for keeping the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham open for 24 hours for more business with Afghanistan and the Central Asian states. The local farmers, who had been producing best quality fruits and vegetables in their specially prepared agricultural fields […]
The inspiring, rags-to-riches story of a farmer
28/12/2010 by
Some 20-odd kilometres off the Pune-Mumbai road, near Baner, a fork to the left goes to Hinjewadi. Just five years ago, the landscape was lush with green fields that produced rice, jowar, bajra, sugarcane amongst other crops.Off late, Hinjewadi has become famous as an information technology hub that houses the creme de la creme of […]
FieldFresh Foods expanding contract farming in eastern India
26/12/2010 by
FieldFresh Foods said it was expanding its contract farming to east India to source pineapples, as it looks to widen its product portfolio of fresh fruits and vegetables. The company, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Philippine’s Del Monte Pacific, said it had partnered with farmers in Siliguri,
Sweet peppers leave Gaza for first time since ’07
26/12/2010 by
“The first shipment of Gaza sweet peppers together with strawberries and carnations is on its way to Europe,” a Dutch statement announced on Sunday, following long efforts to expand the list of goods permitted for export from the coastal enclave. The 11 loads of goods, grown as part of a Dutch initiative to support cash […]
Jharkhand farmers dump tomatoes on roads
26/12/2010 by
Ranchi, Dec 25 – Call it irony. At a time when tomatoes are selling for up to Rs.40 a kg, farmers in Jharkhand are dumping them on roads because they are not getting money that meets even their production cost. At Rangamati, on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur national highway just 70 km from here, angry farmers are […]
Old Problems Resurface With China’s Rising Food Prices
26/12/2010 by
The British writer Bruce Chatwin, in his 1989 book “What Am I Doing Here,” ascribed the power of Chinese emperors to nothing more than the authority over agriculture. “Imperial decrees,” Chatwin wrote, “used to begin ‘The World is based on Agriculture.’” It’s been more than 20 years since Chatwin wrote and a millennium since the […]