The Sri Lankan government is to provide the fertilizer subsidy currently granted to paddy cultivation to supplementary crop cultivations as well.

Wild Life and Agrarian Services Minister S.M. Chandrasena has said the Rs. 350 fertilizer subsidy granted to paddy cultivations would be granted to supplementary crop cultivations from today (21).

The fertilizer subsidy is to be granted to corn, soya, green gram, cowpea, chili peppers and vegetable cultivations.

Millions of Indians are facing a new health risk. Increasing water scarcity is forcing farmers to grow vegetables and fodder using untreated sewage waste water across urban and rural cities.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FAAI) has in the past issued several warnings on pesticide residues and crop contaminants, including aflatoxins, patulin and ochratoxin in Indian fruit and vegetables. These pesticides are known to adversely effect the nervous system and can result in lung damage and cancer

The world health statistics 2012 report, released by the World Health Organisation on Thursday, focuses on the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the world.

The report says that one in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure, which is directly responsible for a majority of deaths from strokes and heart disease. The report also points out that one in 10 adults globally has diabetes.

A survey by an NGO revealed that crops on 35,000 acres and 41,000 people were affected in Matiari district during recent breach in Rohri Canal.

The survey, conducted by disaster risk reduction sector of Sindh Agricultural and Forestry workers Coordinating Organisation (Safwco), said crops of cotton, mango orchards and vegetables were submerged on 35,000 acres in the union council of Bhale Dino
Kaka. The breach water also affected 35 villages.

There's garbage in your greens. That fresh cucumber in your salad or your dose of green leafy veggies could well have been grown using raw sewage discharge.

As water scarcity mounts, farmers in the semi-urban areas are increasingly using sewage or waste water to grow veggies, cereals and fodder. The big concern is a large part of the sewage discharge from the urban centres is untreated, thereby triggering contamination risks on health and environmental issues.

New Delhi With no political consensus as yet to allow the foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, India needs to undertake structural reforms urgently to curb food inflation that surged to a 15-month high of 10.49% in April on dearer vegetables and protein-based products.

Economists said these reforms should focus on four fundamental aspects: raising productivity, curbing wastages, better distribution and delivery system, and ensuring fair returns to producers to keep them engaged in the farm sector.

Maharashtra is struggling to cope with one of the most severe drought crises in recent times, with many terming it worse than the historic drought of 1972. Rivers have gone dry and the dams are proving insufficient for even drinking water, let alone irrigation. In 12 worst-hit districts, many farmers are forced to abandon the standing crop and sell their livestock due to unavailability of fodder.