The Karnataka Planters' Association (KPA), which is currently holding its coffee area scientific symposium (CASS) in Israel, plans to adopt kibbutz model of drip irrigation for their plantations.

“After visiting the Naan Dan Kibbutz near Tel Aviv, we were able to get a first-hand experience of irrigation facilities created to raise avocado, citrus, banana and mango plantations, installed by Netafim Ltd, one of the largest drip irrigation company,” said Mr Marvin Rodrigues, Chairman of KPA.

NEW DELHI: Ministers of South Africa, Brazil, China and India - the BASIC group - will meet here on February 13-14 to chalk out a joint strategy for the post-2020 global climate regime. The meeting of the group, which was the most prominent block of countries at Durban talks along with the EU, comes weeks ahead of the deadline to make submissions to the UN on the framework for negotiations for the new regime, Durban Platform.

The United States remained the primary backer of biotech crop technology in 2011, but adoption spread internationally as the total global planted area of genetically modified seeds grew 8 percent from a year ago, according to a report issued Tuesday.

Roughly 160 million hectares, or 395.2 million acres, were planted with biotech crops in 2011, up 8 percent from 2010, said the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) in its annual report on biotech seed use.

India, Russia and China may consider imposing over-flight charges on European airlines, if the European Union (EU) continues with its plans of imposing a carbon tax on international airlines operating to the EU. The tax came into force from January 1.

A clearer picture is likely to emerge after an international conference in Moscow scheduled to begin on February 21. An inter-ministerial delegation drawn from the Ministries of External Affairs and Civil Aviation will attend the meet.

Report Also Breaches Firewall Between Rich & Poor. A high-profile panel of the United Nation Secretary General (UNSG) on Global Sustainability has recommended that the world adopt sustainable development targets. The move has been opposed by India and several other developing countries as creating a backdoor for caps on emissions and green targets, while breaching the firewall between developing and rich countries that is enshrined in the Rio declaration and the United Nation convention on climate change.

DURBAN: Major polluters in the ongoing climate talks here debated one more major issue while South African International Relations Minister and Cop- 17 President Maite Nkoana-Mashabane called them to an informal meeting to resolve it.
The parties are now scuffling on the issue on the comprehensive legally binding deal to continue the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, world's lone legally binding deal to cut greenhouse emission keeping the global temperature below two degree Celsius.

New Delhi India maintained its position as the fourth largest steel producer in 2011, despite 5.7 per cent output growth as against the world average of 6.8 per cent, the World Steel Association (WSA) said.

Recording an increase of 6.8 per cent in 2011 over 2010, global steel production hit a record 1,527 million tonnes. On the other hand, India produced 72.2 million tonnes steel last year over 68.3 million tonnes in the previous year.