BURDWAN, Dec. 31: Burdwan~ one of the leading paddy growing districts in the state will soon employ a high-tech drying process which will cut down on breakage of rice grains.

Mithradham, implying 'the abode of the Sun and the house of a friend' is an NGO based in Chunangamveli, a beautiful village in Kochi, Kerala. Headed by Dr George Peter Pittappillil, the Mithradham Trust was founded in 1998. "Our NGO is engaged in cultivation, processing and marketing of spices from Kerala through the use of solar energy."