This year the cotton yield of Punjab is expected to be marginally higher at 607 kg per hectare compared to last year

LUCKNOW: Late arrival and now weak monsoon conditions have hit farmers hard. If the same trend continued for a weak, it is feared that the Kharif crop yield would drop by 20-30% this season. Adding to the woes of farmers is the poor power supply in the rural belt and the recent hike in diesel prices.

The agriculture sector, which in previous Economic Surveys seemed to be pulling out of a bad patch, slipped back into a dismal 1.6% growth in 2008-09, the latest report said. The worst show was in the third quarter, which, on a year-on-year basis, showed a 0.8% decline.

Hamirpur: Widespread rain in Hamirpur district on Monday night and today morning brought an end to the long-dry spell in the area, thereby reviving hopes of farmers who can now expect good kharif season.

Pre-monsoon rain in this region has provided much desired water and moisture to standing crops which were almost on the verge of getting destroyed due to lack of rain.

Staples such as cassava on which millions of people depend become more toxic and produce much smaller yields in a world with higher carbon dioxide levels and more drought, Australian scientists say. The findings underscored the need to develop climate-change-resistant cultivars to feed rapidly growing human populations, said Ros Gleadow of the Monash University in Melbourne.

MUMBAI: Climate change may hit the sugar industry in the state with sugarcane crop yields being reduced by up to 30% in the future with long-term socio-economic implications for many farmers.

This was revealed after a four-year study conducted by the World Bank in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa that predicted drops in agricultural yields.

WHILE it is known that the adverse impact of global warming on glaciers could unleash food shortages, now comes some more distressing news. A study conducted by Palampur-based agriculture university suggests a shrinkage of apple belt in Himachal Pradesh. The reports, if true, portend a grim picture for Himachal

Lucknow: Sitaram Yadav, a farmer based in Gohta village of Mau district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, gives a thumbs up to the flood-tolerant Swarna Sub-1 rice variety.

Moderate to heavy rains for the past two days have cast a shadow on the better prospect of rabi crop in the region while the exact degree of impact would come to the fore in the near future only.

Besides affecting the quantum of the produce, untimely rains may also affect the eatable quality of the produce.

Kochi, April 6 Present system of agriculture is robbing the soil of its native reserves and that in turn would hamper the sustainability of the cropping system in the country. Farmers, therefore, need to revert to organic agriculture so as to enrich the already degraded soil, according to experts in the field.

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