staple switch: The Sri Lankan government is now busy promoting the country's own staple food among its people. It feels that Sri Lankans are getting used to consuming large amounts of imported wheat

Activists and farmers opposing patents on Indian agricultural products by the West have achieved rare victory. A patent on Indian wheat, held by multinational corporation Monsanto, has been revoked

The armyworm has devastated crops in several provinces of Pakistan. Sindh is plagued by the pest, which has damaged 25 per cent of the rice crop and a substantial part of the banana crop. Even as

The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Union ministries of agriculture, chemical, fertiliser and petrochemicals, health and family welfare, environment and forests, and food and consumer affairs

in a bid to promote crop diversification, the Punjab government is venturing into contract farming of basmati rice, oilseeds and durum wheat (see: Down To Earth, February 15, 2003). The state-run