Experts in the field of farming and representatives of Union Parishads and journalists have exchanged their views on the formation of 'Chita' in the current season. The chief scientific officer of the Rice Research Institute has asserted that formation of "Chita" in the boro crops could be avoided if awareness about the use of land in different seasons could be raised. That being so, farmers are found using the land for production of paddy all around the year. While the targeted production...

Heading into rice planting season, Arkansas farmers are definitely being affected by sky-high prices, and they say before long, consumers could be too. Going into this big rice crop, as much fuel as it takes to raise a crop, fuel to produce the water, it could be a very expensive year, Brantley says. Agriculture officials say less rice is being planted across the board this year. Aside from high energy costs, they say high import costs and lack of adequate pricing have contributed to the...

Indonesian rice farmers in Java and Bali must invest in hardier crops and better water storage methods if they hope to maintain harvests in the face of man-made climate change and weather systems such as El Nino, according to a new study. The warm El Nino weather system has already been shown to wreak havoc with the region's rice production by delaying monsoon rains, disrupting the planting of the main rice crop and prolonging the "hungry season" before the main rice harvest. The...

However, the rice exporters association chief cautioned, a stronger baht would adversely affect Thailand'srice export industry, should it rise against the US dollar from its current 35 baht level. Thailand will likely produce more rice for export, given its favourable climate, sufficient rainfall and anti-drought measures in the rice-growing areas, he said. Premium hom mali 'jasmine' rice continues to boost exports. BANGKOK, May 2 (TNA) -- Thai rice exports are expected to increase to 8.5...

Landlessness experienced by millions of farmers in Asia is worsened by liberalization dictated by the WTO and the monopoly of agrochemical TNCs over rice production. Debunking government s claim that HYVs improved the lot of farmers, AMGL Chair Joseph Canlas explained that while it is true that the average palay yield per hectare has grown, the cost of fertilizer, pesticides and other farm inputs has risen from 30 percent to 40 percent of the total production cost per hectare. Debunking...

Under major irrigation schemes we are going to cultivate other vegetable and food crops, especially export oriented crops. We should have our own system and hybridisation of old agricultural methodology with new agriculture. Measures are also underway to strengthen agriculture exports while helping the local farmer with additional subsidies. In order to increase the contribution of agriculture to the GDP, we will have to develop micro and macro level agriculture. Here we are concerned more...