Mr. Sashi Kumar with his branded honey bottles in his lab. Income generation is important for any agricultural activity. What farmers need is a remunerative income (not minimum income) for their produce, and honeybee rearing fits the slot too well. It has been proven to increase a farmer's income by 50-60 per cent under favourable conditions. It requires little investment, no land, and is not labour intensive. It is particularly suited as an income-generating activity for women, young people, and the landless. Production

The farmers of the State are not availing full benefits of their hard work. There remains a big difference between the prices of foodgrains produced by them and the being sold in the markets. Middle men are enjoying the farmers' hard labour. According to a report, sharbati wheat was sold Rs 2200-2500 a quintal in Ratlam but did the farmers reap the profits of this sale. It is also a matter of consideration that if quality crops are produced then the farmers would benefit. Earlier, sharbati wheat was produced in the Bhopal division and adjoining places.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said here on Wednesday that the Left Democratic Front government would launch many new projects this month in connection with the second anniversary of his government. Briefing presspersons on Cabinet decisions, the Chief Minister said the proceedings to write off loans up to Rs.25,000 taken by 41,000 farmers in Wayanad would begin this month. All pupils up to eighth standard will get textbooks free from this year.

Shortage of water rendered most of the farmers unable to sow cotton at the most appropriate time, said District Council members during Wednesday's session. They deplored the daily seven to 10 hours of load-shedding as this was taking toll on the physical, psychological and financial status of Hesco consumers.

Hundreds of farmers and consumers from 15 states gathered in the Capital demanding a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops. The protest under the banner of the Coalition for a GM-free India comes at a time when the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) is slated to consider Mahyco's application for experimental seed production of its Bt brinjal. Mahyco's joint director of research, Usha Barwale Zehr said, "The last time we had a food crisis, we were bailed out by the Green Revolution.

South Africa's government was urged on Tuesday to implement an immediate review of its land reform policies in a hard-hitting report from a leading think-tank that said the current approach had a dismal record and threatened to lead to a crisis. Without a rapid and thorough change of policy towards reversing the injustices of land ownership under apartheid, agricultural production, investor confidence, race relations and the future of the poor were all under threat, the paper found.

Harjant Singh, Hartej Singh, Amarjit Singh, Vinod Jyani and Rajneet Singh are "natural' farmers from the cotton belt of Punjab who were here in the Capital today to demand a complete ban on the Genetically Modified (GM) crops and foods in the country. They were among hundreds of farmers and consumers from 15 states of the country who gathered on "protesting pavement' of the Jantar Mantar saying they would not "become guinea pigs in experimentation in the name of GM food and crops', adding that the GM crops were certainly no answer for the country's food security.

Historically, there have been tenuous links between farmers and food producers, with many companies having scant knowledge of how and where their ingredients are grown. But as the prices of raw materials soar - from the barley used to make beer or the cocoa used to make chocolate - leading brewers and food manufacturers from Cadbury Schweppes to Diageo are increasingly recognising their businesses will benefit from investment in agriculture.

When the Delhi Government announced a three-fold increase in its land acquisition rates earlier this year, from nearly Rs.25 lakh per acre to Rs.75.26 lakh per acre, a huge wave of cheer swept landowners in Delhi's villages. However, as the details of the much trumpeted scheme became known, the happiness turned to despondency in six villages where almost 1,200 acres of land has been acquired but whose owners would still not be able to get the enhanced compensation.

Senior Minister for Irrigation, Raja Riaz Ahmed has said that corruption or negligence will not be tolerated in the irrigation department, provision of irrigation water at tail ends would be ensured. He also assured that prompt patrolling round the clock would be fully conducted, for checking water theft and irrigation department will be made farmers friendly.