The Farmers' Welfare Department has been undertaking constant preparations for supplying hybrid and high quality seeds to farmers during the kharif season. A meeting was held at the Mantralaya on Tuesday for reviewing the preparations. The meeting was chaired by Principal Secretary Agriculture and Cooperatives MM Upadhayay.

Nayanima Basu / New Delhi May 14, 2010, 1:15 IST

The much-awaited nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) policy, which came into effect from April 1 with the objective of enhancing soil nutrition in the country, might turn out to be ineffective and unproductive for the farming community even as it was expected to reduce the government

The Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday banned sale of seeds manufactured by Monsanto company, as a US-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation, in the state

Quashing criticism over the changed structure of fertiliser subsidy, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today argued the price of urea was increased to ensure farmers got the subsidy at the maximum retail price and more investment flows into the sector.

Gireesh Chandra Prasad

Gireesh Chandra Prasad, KG Narendranath

New Delhi: The nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) regime that came with decontrol of farm-gate prices of phosphatic and and potassic fertilisers has kept the farmer happy with increased availability of these fertilisers at prices which they can pay, according to sources in the government and the industry.

NBS teething troubles should not thwart further reform