Charanjit Ahuja

Chandigarh: Over 11,000 acres of land has been brought under organic farming in Punjab and Haryana under a scheme sponsored by the Union Government. While 6,050 acres has so far come under organic farming in Punjab, Haryana too is not lagging behind as 5,000 acre has been brought under organic farming.

Swadeshi Jaivik Sena's training and agriculture convention concludes Farmers' Welfare and Agriculture Development Minister Dr. Ramkrishna Kusmaria has reiterated that the state government is committed to protecting farmers' interests. He said that development of agriculture can be ensured in true sense by adopting organic farming. Dr.

Muktsar, June 20
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today urged state farmers to switch over to organic agriculture to prevent further contamination of underground water sources with pesticides. He was addressing farmers at sangat darshan programmes in several villages of Muktsar. He also released funds for the development of the villages.

Environment activists led by the Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM) and farmers

Greenpeace, the non-governmental organisation, has claimed that farmers get more income if they cultivate organic cotton instead of Bt cotton.

The NGO, which conducted a survey in three top cotton growing districts of Warangal, Karimnagar and Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh, said that the net income of organic cotton farmers is Rs 6,000 an acre, while Bt cotton farmers earned only Rs 2,000.

Indian agriculture was mostly organic before the advent of the Green Revolution. However, the widespread adoption of nutrient-responsive and high-yielding varieties greatly promoted the use of inorganic fertilisers, weedicides and insecticides. The compulsion to grow more for food security has led farmers to overlook food quality norms and an indiscriminate use of natural resources.

Tampa, Florida: The paper industry

Countries To Be Free To Choose Whether To Grow Or Ban Genetically Modified Crops

Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Farmers in Assam, especially those in districts close to the state capital, have found a new and safer method of pest control. The State Bio-Control Laboratory (SBCL) of the state agriculture department has isolated two exotic species of farmer-friendly insect bio-agents and have begun sharing these with farmers.