Bt cotton only increased cost of cultivation: Study
Much of the increase in cotton yields in India cannot be attributed to the adoption of transgenic cotton, as claimed earlier, but to other factors such as increase in area of cultivation, fertiliser use, better irrigation and new class of insecticides in last 15 years, according to a new study.
The study appeared in the journal Nature Plants last week. It was the very first study on the long-term impact of cultivation of Bt cotton, which, since its introduction in 2002, covered more than 90 per cent of cotton fields in India.
Covid-19 impact: Gujarat’s wheat supplies to southern markets disrupted
Panic triggered by the spread of the Covid-19 virus has clouded the prospects of a good harvest seen in key rabi crops such as wheat, jeera (cumin seed) and dhana (coriander) among others.
Gujarat, which is expected to harvest about 4.03 million tonnes of wheat in 2019-20, a little less than double of 2.3 mt reported for the year 2015-16.
Coronavirus leaves Lasalgaon onion traders anxious about exports
Lasalgaon, Asia’s largest wholesale market for onions, is gearing up for increased exports amid hopes that the coronavirus outbreak will not curtail demand for the bulb.
Maharashtra has a 33 per cent share of India’s onion production; 80-90 per cent of the onion that comes to the Lasalgaon market is of export quality. Suvarna Jagtap, Chairperson of APMC, Lasalgaon, told BusinessLine: “We are seeking information about issues that have emerged due to the spread of coronavirus. As per our information, some countries are not willing to accept vegetables and onions coming from India. As of now traders and exporters are busy going ahead with exports. But the situation is not yet clear.”
