About 25,000 hectares are turning into double-crop lands in Sylhet district this year with cultivation of Irri-Boro in the current season for the first time. Loss of Amon paddy this year compelled farmers to cultivate Irri-Boro on the vast lands left fallow earlier. Farmers in large number in Sylhet Sadar, Golapganj, Beanibazar, Kanaighat, Zakiganj and Jaintapur upazilas are bringing the lands under paddy cultivation to recoup crop loss due to floods.

Short supply of fertiliser is affecting cultivation of Irri-Boro and rabi crops in Sidr affected 11 district in Barisal region. Despite constraints and financial hardship, farmers in the region are making all out efforts to recover the losses caused by Sidr but their hopes are being dashed by fertiliser crisis. Sources at fertiliser monitoring cell and Barisal regional office of Agriculture Extension Department (AED) said only 6,290 tonnes of TSP and urea were distributed among dealers and 17,500 tons were in stock till Thursday last against the demand for 40,200 tonnes in the region.

Punjab government has reactivated and empowered Punjab Agriculture Research Board (Parb) in order to corporatise research on major crops by including private stakeholders in its decision making. Planning and development department sources told APP here on Monday that agri research system in the province is being improved to give impetus to the agriculture sector, which is pivotal to the economy and contributes about 54 percent to the gross provincial product.

President of Pakistan Kisan Movement (PKM) Chaudhry Ashfaq has appealed to President Pervez Musharraf to take actions against those officials who are exploiting farmers by creating fertiliser crisis. He expressed his views while chairing a Kisan meeting here on Monday. Farmers from different parts also attended the meeting and shared their grievances on the occasion. He said that farmers were very concerned over a possible fertiliser crisis badly affecting their community following the wheat and cooking oil crises.

Lahu Fale does not have to think twice about market availability, price and transportation when it comes to deciding which crops to grow. Now he and other farmers in Pune's Kolwan Valley can sell

US farmers appeal for commercial hemp farming Two farmers in the US state of North Dakota are appealing against a lower court's decision over commercial hemp farming. The lawsuit aims to end

Vegetable farming is an important income generating activity in parts of rural Nepal. However, vegetable farming is pesticide intensive and pesticide exposure is beginning to emerge as a problem. A SANDEE study examines the impacts of pesticide use on vegetable farmers in the mid-hills area of Nepal, some 40km

on november 9, papers in Punjab ran stories about a study exposing high levels of pesticides in blood samples of people in the state. Pesticides were also on the agenda that day at a symposium at the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana. But the "experts' gathered at the meet were not there to allay concerns raised by the report.

Sugarcane growers in Uttar Pradesh feel sold out to mills Frustration is growing among sugarcane growers in Uttar Pradesh. First private sugar mills refused to begin crushing and now the Lucknow

Punjab's Malwa region, south of the Sutlej river, grabbed national attention a couple of years ago when its steeply rising cancer graph came to light. Studies had revealed the link between heavy

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