April 30: The state agriculture department has directed all the pesticide manufactures in the state to implement the ban on the use of Monocrotophos on vegetables and a total ban on 28 other pesticides.
The Central Insecticide Board and the Registration Committee has banned 28 pesticide formulations which include Endrin, Calcium Cyanide and Aldrin.

B. Chandrashekhar

ANANTAPUR: Iron ore mining continues in Obulapuram and H. Siddapuram villages amid confusion prevailing over the letter written by the Forest Conservation Division of Union Ministry of Environment directing the State government to suspend five mining leases till clear demarcation of boundaries is finalised.

April 29: Andhra Pradesh has the third largest pig population in the country but there are no fears of an immediate outbreak of swine flu here since the virus is not known to survive in temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. For a change we can thank the summer heat.

April 29: After three de-cades, developmental works at Thimmamma Marrimanu are going to materialise with its adoption by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Many leaders in the past had given assurances to develop the site, but to no avail.
Thimmamma Marrimanu is a huge banyan tree, 550-years-old and spread over eight acres of land. It is in SP Kunta mandal in Kadiri constituency.

Certification is of two types: Third Party System (TPS) and Participatory Guarantee Scheme (PGS). Under TPS, the certifying body inspects and monitors fileds. Charges can go up to Rs 5,000 for an acre (0.4 hectare). PGS entails training farmers to monitor fields. It is a zero-cost system and suited for small and marginal farmers.

Group certification for organic farmers in the state ABOUT 6,000 farmers from 138 villages in Andhra Pradesh who practise organic farming can next year expect a premium price for their produce. Certification by the National Centre for Organic Farming in Ghaziabad will help them earn more. The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (serp), under the state