Jamshedpur: The organic tussar silk produced in Kuchai-Kharsawan has now got patent, making Jharkhand the first state in India to obtain the same.

The Jharkhand government had applied to a US-based firm, Onecert Asia, for the patent. The firm affiliated to Agriculture Produce Export Development Agency (OPEDA) gave its approval on October 13.

Indian physicist and environmental activist Vandana Shiva said the financial crisis showed it was high time for countries to rebuild local, diverse farms to become independent from global turmoil.

M.J. PRABU

Safe & secure: The farmer, Subbaian in his lush organic farm in Tamil Nadu.

The importance of good soil and clean water for raising any crop can hardly be overemphasised.

A soil with low fertility and a contaminated water source can make life very difficult for farmers.

Priscilla Jebaraj

Organic vegetables on sale at Anna Nagar, Chennai.

If people are watching their wallets in a time of rising prices, they are not going to shell out even more for expensive items such as organic products, right? Wrong, say farmers and retailers.

COIMBATORE: The Southern India Mills Association

A programme to motivate farmers and youth to use organic fertiliser to save money on expensive non-organic fertilisers and insecticides is launched by the Agro Division of Gold Lanka company.

GOING ORGANIC: Basudeb Banerjee (right), Chairman, Tea Board of India, shaking hands with Kaison Chang, Secretary, FAO IGG on Tea, at a press conference in Kolkata on Friday. Anne Boor (left), Project Director, INFOAM, and Nianjun Schen, Assistant Project Manager-Common Fund for Commodities, look on.

Karthik Madhavan

Following nature