Dilip Kumar Jha / Mumbai July 25, 2008, 0:55 IST
India's paddy output is likely to rise marginally by 1.39 per cent, or 2 million tonnes, due to favourable monsoon in some major growing areas, says the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The country's total paddy output may rise to 145.5 million tonnes in 2008 as compared to 143.5 million tonnes last year.

High procurement: Good strategy or bad arithmetic, examines KP Prabhakaran Nair, agricultural scientist based in Kerala

The city district government has set up 54 centres in Rawalpindi district to supply flour to the residents at control rate of Rs 375 per 20 kg bag.

West Asian, North African Countries Turning To Expensive Schemes For Maintaining Food Supply

Andrew Martin
Cairo: Global food shortages have placed the Middle East and North Africa in a quandary, as they are forced to choose between growing more crops to feed an expanding population or preserving their already scant supply of water.

Paddy sowing in the on-going Kharif season rose by 23 per cent to 14.88 million hectares so far against 12.1 million hectares in the same period last year.

The area under oilseed coverage rose marginally to 10.1 million hectares for the week ended July 17 against 9.9 million hectares in the year-ago period. Under oilseeds, soyabean acreage has increased to about 6.5 million hectares against 5.4 million hectares.

However, areas under groundnut have declined to 2.69 million hectares , compared with 3.04 million hectares in the same period last year.

For the first time in the history of Pakistan, banks and insurance companies would formally launch 'Crop Loan Insurance Scheme' from Rabi season. A meeting of the State Bank of Pakistan's Task Force on Crop Loan Insurance Framework on Thursday finally decided to launch the insurance scheme for farmers throughout the country from coming Rabi season.

GUWAHATI, July 16: Loans of over 2.26 lakh farmers have been waived in Asom as per the Union Budget's provision for farmers' loan waiver even as the State is witnessing a decreasing trend in rice production over the years.

A 90-foot breach in Khewra canal near Chak 385-JB inundated crops spreading over hundreds of acres of farmland late Monday night.Faisalabad irrigation department west circle superintending engineer Rana Rafiq Ahmad and Jhang executive engineer Abbas Shahid Cheema visited the spot and ordered a probe. The affected growers demanded that the authorities concerned should write off their loans as compensation.

Krishi Bhawan's latest estimate of a record crop output in 2007-08 may seem to indicate a pick-up in Indian agriculture, but this has not been adequately reflected in the recent price trends of agricultural commodities. The prices of most commodities have remained firm and even increased. The latest estimate puts the foodgrain output at over 230 million tonnes, 13 million tonnes more than the previous year's production of 217 million tonnes.

Federal and provincial governments had formed a project worth million of rupees to introduce virus free types but even after the passage of 16 years all the research institutions of the country failed to invent virus free type. Last year the crops were attacked by different viruses including mealy bug, which resulted the loss of million of rupees.

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