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Deployment of women constables cheers farmers in Punjab’s border villages

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Rorawala (India-Pakistan Border), Sep.11 (ANI): As women constables of the Border Security Force (BSF) were deployed at the India-Pakistan International Border on Friday, a wave of cheer overwhelmed the villagers here.

Male farmers expressed their delight over the development, saying the presence of women security personnel would encourage their womenfolk to join them in the fields near the border.

The fencing of the 553-kilometer-long border since the 1990s; has created a feeling of reluctance among rural women to cross the border gates to work in fields or to deliver meals.

Most of them were hesitant in undergoing a frisking of their bodies, a security provision to check against the smuggling of unwanted material from across the border.

In such conditions, farmers were compelled to hire outside help on daily wages.

Hailing the step, farmers in the border area said their financial burden would be reduced with their women stepping in to assist them.

They also said that the deployment of women constables would enable them to access cheap labour.

Raj, a woman labourer, said: “I am very happy since it was difficult to get work in the village. We can now go to the fields beyond the fencing and earn much for our families.”

Balwinder Kaur of Rorawala village said that her family owned about ten acres of land beyond the fencing and some times it was difficult to cultivate it due to the shortage of labourers.

Now, with the presence of female security personnel, she said that she and other females of the family were ready to help in the cultivation process beyond the fenced wiring.

Joginder Singh, a farmer, said that he was now looking forward to the fresh meals brought to him by the womenfolk of his family.

Mohammad Aquil, DIG (Border Range) BSF, said the deployment of the lady BSF constables would be done in the state of Punjab within two months.

A senior BSF official said about 178 girls would be posted at the international border dividing India and Pakistan. At a later stage, 60 of these women constables would be deployed along the India-Bangladesh border

These women are aged between 19-25 and are fully trained in the use of weapons, patrolling and other combat tasks, they will be assigned non-combat duties along the fenced border.

Gurbir Kaur, a woman constable, said that the (soldiers)’ uniform always fascinated her. She said that being in uniform was a dream come true.

Raman Preet Kaur, another lady constable, said that apart from frisking, she was also trained to handle a security-related crisis at the border.

These women passed out of the BSF academy in Kharkan near the town of Hoshiarpur on July 25 this year. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)

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Authorities promote blackberry production among Uttarakhand farmers

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Nainital, Sep 9 (ANI): In an initiative to promote European blackberry production in Uttarakhand, the state government have authorities distributed saplings of the fruit among farmers across the street.

Blackberry is not sown in the country, but the prospect of rich dividends from international markets has made the authorities and farmers to adapt to the fruit.

Sudhir Chaddha, agriculture specialist and director of Floriculture Park located in Chafi, said that the farmers in the country were at an advantage, as the fruit could be reaped two months in advance as compared to their European counterparts.

“Several European tourists when they visited India said that if we grow blackberries in India and send the frozen fruit to Europe it could be lucrative business, as the blackberries’ were not grown in Europe at that time,” Chaddha said.

“We grow blackberries two months in advance as compared to the farmers in Europe. This will be a great advantage for the blackberry farmers in India,” he added.

It is grown at an altitude of 2000-4000 feet. The fruit requires cold climate preferably less than 30 degrees centigrade for a healthy crop.

The best months for blackberry cultivation are February, March and April while the light soil is ideal for their cultivation. (ANI)

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Orissa tribals adopt beekeeping business

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Koraput (Orrisa), Sep 8 (ANI): Tribals in Orissa’s Kaoraput district take to apiculture to earn a living. A non- governmental organization called ‘Sarvodaya Committee’ initiated the honey collection in 1955, aided by Orissa Khadi and Village industry board.

The beekeepers collect the honeybees and keep them in a box hive and wait for at least three months for the bees to produce honey.

“At first we catch the queen bee from the jungle and keep it in a safe place. Then all the other bees come searching for the queen bee and we catch them. This is how we collect the bees and keep them in a box hive,” Ugresan Guntha, a honey collector.

“The Koraput area is a cold region due to which the cultivation of the Italian bee known as Melifera Mexica is very profitable. The honey produced by the normal Indian bee is around fifteen kilograms of in a year but the honey produced by the Italian bee known as the Malifera Mexica is around 40-45 kilograms,” said Krushna Dalei, a beekeeper.

He also said that the months from December to April are very good season for the collection of honeybees.

The demand for the honey produced in these beekeeping fields is very high.

The beekeepers have to check the honeybees every ten days and look after their needs.

The five kinds of honey bee that are found in Orissa are called Rock bee, Apis bee, Apis Melipa, Apis Maila, and Apis Melifera, which is the most profitable. (ANI)

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New sugar season to begin with much lower stocks: Pawar

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep. 1 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that the new sugar season will begin with much lower stocks, as the production will be hit by lower sugar recovery from cane after the failure of monsoon rains.

“The production of sugar in India during year 2008 and 2009 sugar season has not been adequate to meet the domestic demand of the country. We started with very comfortable opening balance that was around 10 million tonnes of sugar on 1st October 2008. However we expect sugar production during 2009 and 2010 definitely less…somewhat 8-22 billion tonnes,” Pawar told reporters.

Recently, the head of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd, J.B. Patel had said India’s opening stocks would be at 2.7 million tonnes, down three quarters from 10 million tonnes on October 1, 2008.

India’s dwindling stocks and rising demand have helped raw sugar futures surge to the highest in nearly three decades on prospects of large purchases by the world’s top sugar consumer.

Weak monsoon rains have further raised supply concerns in India.

Many Indian farmers abandoned cane cultivation last year as they found wheat more attractive after the government raised the purchase price for the grain handsomely.

India had exported five million tonnes of sugar last year, but it swiftly turned into a large importer to counter low supply and rising prices.

Sugar industry officials say the government should lift controls on the sugar sector to correct the demand-supply mismatch. (ANI)

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Caterpillars damage paddy crop in Jharkhand

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Palamu (Jharkhand), Aug 31(ANI): First it was drought and now it is swarming caterpillars, which are adding to the woes of the paddy farmers in Jharkhand’s Palamu district.

The farmers in the region are worried as the caterpillars are devouring the paddy plants and have spread across acres of paddy fields, and it is feared that almost 60 to 70 percent of the crop have been damaged.

“There has been drought, we were already thinking about fending for our living. And, now the caterpillars have destroyed the crop. We fear dying of hunger. We are facing a very tough situation,” said Manraj Singh, a farmer.

Out of the total 48,400 hectares of land under paddy in the region only 14.5 percent was sown due to the lack of water and now the caterpillar is eating up whatever was sown.

“Only 14.5 percent of the area has been sown this year. In Palamu district, the total area under paddy cultivation is almost 48,400 hectares, out of which only 14.5 has been sown. Firstly there was a water problem ad now the plants have been infested by a pest called swarming caterpillar,” said D.N Singh, an agriculture scientist.

The farmers also complain of Government lack of concern over the matter and feel they have no help from anywhere in such gloomy situation. By Girija Shankar Ojha (ANI)

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Exotic vegetable cultivation picks up in Jammu and Kashmir

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Gopalpura (Jammu and Kashmir), Aug 29(ANI): Vegetable farmers in Jammu and Kashmir have opted for cultivation of exotic vegetables, as it has turned out to be more beneficial to them than growing the indigenously grown varieties.

Mohammed Shafi, a farmer and a seed dealer from capital Srinagar has been experimenting with the cultivation of exotic vegetable varieties bringing most of the seeds from European Union nations.

Shafi has been growing varieties like red cabbage, savoy type cabbage, green rocket, Broccoli, B Sprouts, red fire lettuce and a host of others.

He also claims that the medicinal values of these vegetables are very high and are used in curing different kinds of ailments like the stomach ulcer.

“It has good medicinal values. I read in an American journal about the medicinal value of Broccoli which helps to cure a big disease like stomach ulcers. It has food value and medicinal value hence people are now slowly getting aware of its benefits,” said Shafi.

Meanwhile, Bashir Ahmed Dar, Director of Agriculture department of Jammu and Kashmir, believes that the farmers in the state are steadily getting aware of the potential in cultivating these varieties.

Dar also said that the clientele of these vegetables is the upper middle class due to which the prices are high.

“They are very good vegetables hence we thought of introducing it here. We have broccoli, lettuce, Chinese cabbage and gradually people are consuming it. However, its consumption is among the people from the high society. There is a demand of these vegetables in hotels and also from the tourists coming here,” Dar said.

It is believed that Jammu and Kashmir can be a vast market for such vegetables as the valley has a seasonal edge over other states

These vegetables have an advantage of withstanding temperature fluctuations during the spring in Kashmir. They mature in lesser number of days than the open pollinated types. By Parvez Bhatt(ANI)

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Gwalior opium farmers stage protest for re-allotment of their lands

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Gwalior, Aug 25 (ANI): More than 100 opium farmers here took to the streets demanding their lands back.

Farmers from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan gathered in front of the office of the local Narcotics Commissioner.

Their demands include the revival of their cancelled land deeds, raising minimum support price for their crop and license to grow upto 48 kilograms opium per hectare.

Some agitated farmers, squatting outside the Narcotics Commissioner’s office for two days, took off their clothes in protest after they failed to meet the narcotics commissioner for the second day.

“We are protesting for one justified demand…during 2001 to 2008 opium farmers have suffered a huge loss because of hailstorms, cold wave and other natural reasons… Despite our losses, the Narcotics Commissioner has cancelled our allotments, even though we produced the collector’s survey damage report… We demand the revival of the title of the lands,” said Saurabh Jain, Convenor, Opium Farmers Struggle Committee, Rajasthan.

India is one of the world’s top producers of opium and is the sole producer of licit opium gum utilized by the world’s pharmaceutical industries to produce codeine, morphine, narcotine, thebaine, papaverine and other medical products.

While remote mountainous areas like Kulu-Manali are more in the news as poppy cultivation areas, mostly due to the illicit crops destroyed, the highest yields come from the Indo-Gangetic plains constituting Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Opium cultivation and processing in India is strictly regulated by the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), as per provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (India), 1985 and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Rules (India), 1985.

Peasants are licensed to grow a certain area in poppy and government factories process the opium. The Ghazipur factory in Uttar Pradesh is about 150 years old while another plant at Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh was set up in the 1930′s. (ANI)

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Bumper crop of plums in Kashmir

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Budgam (Jammu and Kashmir), July 14 (ANI): People in different parts of the country can expect to relish delicious plums or, Aloobukharas in common parlance, as there has been a bumper crop in Kashmir.

Kashmir’s Budgam district, which grows plums had good rainfall coupled with moderate temperature this year.

As per the State Government, 2000 hectares of land of the valley is under plum cultivation. The production of plums this year is expected to touch 5500 metric tons, 500 metric tonnes more than the last year.

“The production is high in the entire region, even the colour of our fruit is better that that was in the last season…every fruit grower is happy as they are fetching good prices for their fruits,” Salim Ahmad Bhat, a plum grower said.

As soon as the orchard owners and growers bring their yield to the wholesale markets, they are packed and dispatched to various states of the country.

“According to our information and observation 80 percent of the entire plum produce is of ‘A’ grade quality which is better than the last year…we hope that this year growers of the region will fetch good profit,” said Manzoor Ahmad, an official with the State Horticulture Department.

Plums have different varieties like sentarosa, silver plum, and chokandra plum. The juicy and tasty plum is much sought after in Mumbai, Kolkota and Delhi. By Afzal Bhat (ANI)

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State level pineapple festival held in Imphal

July 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Imphal, July 11 (ANI): To bring all pineapple farmers of Manipur, a State known for pineapple production, on a common platform and promote agro-based tourism and horticulture crops, the 2nd State level pineapple festival cum youth festival was held recently in Imphal.

The festival was launched to encourage pineapple growers in Manipur.

Organised by the Development Organisation, Andro Kendra, it was held at Thambalnu Market, Yairipok in Imphal. The event saw 120 stalls being put up and pineapples produced by around 400 to 500 farmers put on public display.

Experts from Central Agricultural University, State Horticulture Department of the state provided technical training to farmers on the cultivation of pineapples.

The festival is a step forward in helping farmers become economically stable.

“Our aim is to help the farmers of the state benefit from pineapple cultivation. We have organised this festival, as we wanted to remove poverty from the state. The farmers will be able to assist their children’s studies through the income generated,” said K. Abungcha Singh, Organising Secretary, Pineapple Festival.

“This festival will help bring development to the state. This is the 2nd pineapple festival and it has encouraged us (pineapple farmers) as our hard work has been recognized. People will also get to know about pineapple cultivation in the state,” said O. Thambal Devi, a pineapple farmer in Manipur.

As a part of the festival, various cultural programmes were also held.

The state produces pineapples at about 10,000 tonnes per hectare annually and has become the highest producer and exporter in the country.

And, the festival is an opportunity for the farmers to display their products and market them not only at the state level but internationally as well.

Moreover, State horticulture department has recognized Queen and Kew variety of pineapple available in the state as priority crop from this year and will install a processing unit at Andro under the technology mission of the department. By L.C.K Singh (ANI)

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Poppy cultivation in Kashmir

July 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Jammu, July 9 (ANI): Satellite images of Jammu and Kashmir taken by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) have led to shocking revelations.

Tracts of forest areas and uncultivated patches of land in the region are found to be under illegal poppy cultivation. This in turn has exposed the presence of a drug mafia with terror links.

The Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau, Jammu zone, disclosed information here on Tuesday.

The NCB’s images show that southern parts of Kashmir such as Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Banihal, Udhampur and also the border belt in Poonch and Rajouri regions are being extensively used for poppy cultivation.

Armed with these satellite images, the NCB is gearing up to conduct a physical surveillance to identify the exact location of the narcotics cultivated fields so that they can be destroyed at earliest.

“This satellite imaging is taken for the first time in the areas of Jammu and Kashmir and some other states are also included in this operation… The imaging operation has already been completed. Now that the areas are spotted by the satellite, we have to conduct surveillance physically,” said M K Sharma, Zonal Director, NCB, Jammu.

The NCB believes that the involvement of terror groups cannot be denied in poppy cultivation.

“Some militant groups have their involvement in this illicit cultivation because during 2007 a destruction operation was conducted in the area of Anantnag and Pulwama, where some firing from that area was met, and the police forces also retaliated to the firing. So we cannot rule out that the firing was by the militants. So it is very clear that the militants have some hands in this operation,” Sharma added.

Money generated from poppy cultivation in countries like Afghanistan has been used to fund terror related activities in the region. By Tahir Nadeem Khan(ANI)

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Maize agriculture may have fueled ancient Andean civilization

July 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 9 (ANI): In a new study, a skeleton found at a roughly 1,000-year-old site in Peru’s Andes mountains has yielded chemical evidence of substantial maize consumption, which suggests that the farming of the crop led to the rise of the ancient Andean civilization.

Prehistoric communities in one part of Peru’s Andes Mountains may have gone from maize to amazingly complex.

Bioarchaeologist Brian Finucane’s analyses of human skeletons excavated in this region indicate that people living there 2,800 years ago regularly ate maize.

“This is the earliest evidence for maize as a staple food in the rugged terrain of highland Peru,” he said.

According to Finucane, maize agriculture stimulated ancient population growth in the Andes and allowed a complex society, the Wari, to develop.

Wari society included a central government and other elements of modern states. It lasted from around 1,300 to 950 years ago and predated other Andes civilizations, including the Inca.

Previous work has shown that prehistoric societies in the lowland areas of Central and North America depended on maize to grow large enough in numbers to develop state institutions, a pattern that Finucane sees paralleled in the Andes Mountains.

“These new findings indicate that intensive maize agriculture was the economic foundation for the development of the Wari state,” said Finucane.ew evidence for maize as a dietary staple among prehistoric inhabitants of the Andes mountains included chemical data from several skeletons previously excavated from a set of tombs at the capital of the Wari state.

The new data convincingly demonstrate that highland residents relied on maize shortly before the rise of the Wari state, according to archaeologist Daniel Sandweiss of the University of Maine in Orono.

He suggested that a warmer, wetter climate during the Wari period and the spread of terraced cultivation areas might also have spurred maize farming.

“Chemical signatures of substantial maize consumption appeared in the bones of individuals from every Ayacucho site, including three from Formative period sites,” Finucane said.

Only a relatively small part of the Andean valley contains soil suitable for maize cultivation.

Competition for cropland may account for evidence of considerable warfare during the Huarpa and Wari periods, speculated Finucane. (ANI)

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US initiates historic shift in Afghan counter-narcotics policy

July 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 1 (ANI): The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) today hailed the monumental move by the US to stop the failed policy of poppy crop eradication in Afghanistan.

It also called on the US, UK and the international community to back its “Poppy for Medicine” proposal in the war-torn country.

On Saturday, the US announced that it would withdraw its support for efforts to eradicate opium cultivation in Afghanistan.

Richard Holbrooke, the US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said that eradication “didn’t reduce the amount of money the Taliban got by one dollar.”

Shortly after the Taliban fell in 2001, the US-led international community in Afghanistan adopted eradication as part of their counter-narcotics policy in an attempt to curtail the opium crisis.

Since then, eradication policies have been inefficient and counter-productive in winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people.

“Eradication provides the Taliban insurgency with an even more valuable currency than money, and that is loyalty,” said Emmanuel Reinert, Executive Director of ICOS.

“Farmers have turned against the US and ISAF military when their livelihoods were destroyed; with the US stopping its own eradication policies, the West has a real opportunity to turn the situation around and build trust with the Afghan people.”

“This move by the US represents a ‘historic shift’ in its counter-narcotics policy, yet it won’t go far enough to alleviate the opium crisis in Afghanistan,” said Reinert.

“In addition to ending poppy eradication programs, our Poppy for Medicine proposal is a crucial step to successfully cutting off Taliban supplies and provide sustainable and viable livelihoods to Afghan farmers.”

After the US announcement, the UK government spoke out against the new stance by the US and vowed to continue its own eradication efforts.

“I would urge the UK and the entire international community to eliminate poppy crop eradication from their counter-narcotics policy in Afghanistan, and to support a truly viable alternative based on scientific study, namely, Poppy for Medicine,” said Raymond Kendall, Former Secretary-General of Interpol and a Member of the ICOS Advisory Board.

The Council called on the US to implement its proposed Poppy for Medicine programme to license the growing of the poppy crop in Afghanistan for localised, tightly controlled production of morphine, currently unavailable to 80 percent of the world’s population.

Since 2005, ICOS has conducted intense research on its Poppy for Medicine initiative. The European Parliament endorsed the proposal in October 2007, yet was rejected on several occasions by the Bush Administration since005.

“The Poppy for Medicine programme, if implemented, would function as a counter-insurgency initiative which would end Taliban funding through drugs trafficking and drive a wedge between insurgents and poppy farmers.

Changing Afghanistan’s counter-narcotics policy is a first bid to win back the hearts and minds of Afghanistan´s 2.4 million farmers currently dependent on illegal poppy cultivation,” he added.(ANI)

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World powers trying to divide Pakistan, says NWFP Governor

June 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, June 29 (ANI): NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani has said that there is a “great game” being played in the region, and some world powers were trying to divide Pakistan.

He told a private TV channel that Pakistan would emerge stronger than ever from the crises currently plaguing it, and added that if he were not a governor, he would have exposed them.

Concerning his statement that NATO forces and Afghan militants were attempting to weaken Pakistan, he claimed there was a difference between their (NATO) stated objectives and their actions, which were undermining Pakistan.

The NWFP Governor said he had told several US officials, including General Petraeus, Richard Boucher and Richard Holbrooke, that they would have to talk to Afghan leaders such as Mullah Omer if they wanted to resolve the Afghan issue.

He said thinking they could find a purely military solution to the political problems in Afghanistan was “foolish”, and suggested a lack of understanding of the issue on the part of the US.

Ghani said the US should review its policy on Afghanistan, adding the groups in Afghanistan would have to be involved in finding a solution to the Afghan problem.

The NWFP Governor said it was an undisputed fact that every bullet, every gram of heroin, and every rocket in Pakistan came from Afghanistan. He said the 15,000 or so armed Taliban fighting in Pakistan were being funded by foreign powers, including the drug mafia from Afghanistan.

He also criticised the Americans for allowing poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, saying this had turned Afghanistan into a narcotic-state, the Daily Times reported.

Ghani alleged that the drug warlords in Afghanistan were the political partners of the US and NATO. He said the Pakistan government had reduced the poppy cultivation in FATA to a minimum.

However, Ghani admitted around 40 percent of narcotics from Afghanistan were being smuggled to the rest of the world through Pakistan. (ANI)

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Guava cultivation in mango belt

June 23, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Malihabad (UP), May 23 (ANI): Poor production of mango has forced the mango growers in Malihabad region to take up guava cultivation.

Famous as the mango belt of the country, this region of Uttar Pradesh, is witnessing a sea change as more and more mango cultivators have switched over to growing guavas because the production of mango has not been good since last three years.

Considering the high investment that the mango growers have to make for growing mangoes, the losses incurred are too much to bear when the crop is not up to the expectations.

Faced with such a scenario, the mango growers have been forced to switch over to cultivating guavas.

“People are fed up with growing mangoes. So they are planning to cut their orchards and grow guavas, or even wheat, which also gets good money in the market, ” said Vijyendra Kumar, a mango grower.

Guava has caught the fancy of mango growers as it requires less investment, is less prone to diseases, needs less water and requires minimal care.ccording to estimates, around 25 percent of the mango growers in Malihabad are already in the process of taking up guava cultivation.

“This year, the production of mangoes was less, due to which the fruit growers incurred heavy losses and are now hard pressed for money. Also mango crop is more susceptible to pest attacks, whereas diseases do not infect guavas easily. All these factors are reason enough that mango growers are switching over to cultivating guavas, ” said Gautam Tripathi, another mango grower.

As against mango that gives yield once a year, the growers get better money from cultivating guavas, which yields fruit twice a year. By Kamna Hajela(ANI)

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Andhra takes to Jasmine cultivation

June 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Krishnagiri (TN), June 21 (ANI): Grown extensively over almost 800 hectares of agricultural land in Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu, Jasmine flower is changing the lives of the farmers exporting it to the Gulf countries.

Jasmine is easier and cheaper to grow. The flower is priced at almost 150 to 300 rupees per kilogram.

“We have nine acres of land on which we have planted jasmine flowers. We get a yield of around 100 to 150 kilograms of jasmine. We have a number of people working in the flowers garden. We fetch around Rupees 150 to 300 in the local markets,” said Saroja, a local farmer.

The government encourages the farmers by providing subsidies and modern technology. Besides, they also help the farmers market the produce.

“We encourage the farmers in the schemes and other aspects also, marketing aspects, storage aspects, about wholesale markets, and all this comes in the schemes, its not that we support farmers by only giving them subsidies and technical know-how’s we give them up support up to the marketing level,” said Surendaran, assistant director of horticulture department, Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu.

The farmers though want the government to extend financial assistance so as the area under flower cultivation increases. The farmers are also demanding setting up of cold storages so as to preserve the flowers for a longer time.

The flower industry in the state fetches almost three billion rupees per annum from foreign exports. Owing to the favourable weather, other than jasmine, tuberoses, roses, marigolds, chrysanthemums are also grown in the area. By Jai Kumar (ANI)

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Excessive heat takes toll on pear crop in Punjab

May 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Abohar (Punjab), May 27 (ANI): Farmers in Abohar in Punjab suffered huge losses as their pear crop has been damaged due to excessive heat this summer.

The cultivation of pears has been affected the morale of the farmers.

Sharp rise in temperature in the region has destroyed not only the crops, but also affected the soil.

Mites are affecting the cultivation of pears spread in 200 acres of the region.

The farmers fear that if such conditions prevail for long it would affect other crops as well.

“The affect would be on the variety of pears that we usually produce. Due to the heat, the production of pears has been reduced. If rain comes, we would put fertilisers to the plant so that it comes out better,” said krishna dogra, a farmer.

Experts say that the pear crop requires ample rains during April and May. But due to the lack of rain this season, the crop has been affected badly.

“We also have farm houses. But in farmhouses, we have wind break installed.

But mostly in other regions they don’t have wind break installed. Therefore, the percentage affected would be 20 to 30 percentage of production,” said Professor Pushpinder Singh, Director Punjab Agriculture University, Regional Centre, Abohar.

The producers of the crop say that they tried to save the crops by spraying chemicals and other facilities but it failed.

The gardeners fear that the worst is yet to come. By Avtar Singh Gill ANI)

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Flower business booms amidst signs of peace in Kashmir

May 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Srinagar, May 26 (ANI): Amidst signs of normalcy returning to Jammu and Kashmir, the flower business is steadily prospering in the State.

Due to non-existence of flower shops, people could not sell the flowers.

However, that is set to change as the New Delhi-based leading chain of floral boutiques, Ferns ‘N’ Petals, has launched its first store in Srinagar.

It is expected that the newly opened flower store will give boost to the flower market in the state and create a market for the customers, which did not exist earlier.

It is expected that more persons will be involved in the production of flowers, which help boost the economy of the state.

“For the first time in Kashmir, a show room dealing exclusively in fresh flower has opened up so that we can cater to the demands of fresh flower by the customers. It is used in marriages and on a daily basis. Now, people have ventured into production of fresh flower that we send to Delhi and other places. With this showroom, the market will be created,” said Nusrat Jahan, owner, Ferns ‘N’ Petals.

The climatic conditions in Kashmir are favourable for the cultivation of exotic flowers.

“The production of flower is very high. At other places, we need to make a green house and then only the flowers can grow. But here, we don’t need green house, as the climate is very good and the land is fertile, so because of these reasons the business can flourish here,” said Tariq Ahmad, a flower salesman.

The people are happy about the developments taking in the flower sector within the state, as they feel that since it is impossible for the government to provide employment to everyone, hence, shops such as these should be encouraged because it generates employment for the people. (ANI)

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Punjab farmers expect good season for grapes

May 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Abohar (Punjab), May 25 (ANI): Farmers in Punjab are expecting a good season for grapes this time, as the weather remains favourable.

Grape production is completely dependent on the weather. And the only variety grown in the region, the ‘Perlette’ may be damaged by rain, making weather critical for the farmers.

Though the farmers believe a good produce is on the cards unless it rains.If the weather remains favourable, like it is, if there are no rains, this can be a good season for grapes. If it rains, it will damage the grapes. The crop is completely dependent on the weather,” said Jagga Singh, local farmer and contractor.

The farmers have had to face huge losses including non-recovery of even input costs in the past dissuading them from grape cultivation.

The heavy initial investment for establishing a vineyard and high recurring costs in vineyard management are also deterrents in growing grapes.

Though there are other reasons also that have led to the reduction in grape farming in Punjab.

“Formerly there was good production of grapes in Punjab. Almost 2000-2500 hectares of land was under grape cultivation but now it has reduced to a mere 800-900 hectares. There are a few reasons for it. firstly, the water level has come up, secondly the grapes are not getting properly marketed, thirdly there is no processing plant here and fourthly there is just one variety of grape that is cultivated, this variety ripens before the monsoons.

Wine cannot be made out of it as this variety is not sweet enough,” said P.S Aulakh, Regional Station, Punjab Agriculture University, Abohar.

Grapes in India are cultivated over an area of almost 34,000 hectares with an annual production of 1,000,000 tonnes.

The risk of losing a crop due to unprecedented changes in weather remains very high spelling trouble for farmers. By Avtar Singh (ANI)

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Sakewa festival offers tribute to Mother Earth in Sikkim

May 24, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Sikkim, May 24 (ANI): Assam Linzey in Sikkim celebrated Sakewa, a festival to offer tribute to Mother Earth on Saturday. Sakewa is held as a community prayer and during this festival sweets and food grains are offered to Lord Kubera, who is the God of food and wealth.

Assam Linzey mostly comprises of Rai community, who have celebrated this festival since ancient times and following the recognition of their language by the state government and declaration of Sakewa as a state holiday, the festival is now organized on a grand level

“The main motive behind this festival is to pray to earth on which mankind was created. Today we people pray for the progress and peace of mankind. We pray for the safety of mankind,” said AK Rai, one of the organizing members of the Sakewa festival.

The festival has become synonymous to brotherhood among different communities as member from other sects also participate in the celebration.

“All of the communities here celebrate this festival. Rai participate in our festivals and we participate in theirs. We show an example of strength by celebrating this festival together,” said Tulsi Sharma, a local from other community.

During Sakewa, women perform a folk dance called Sakewa Sili as their prayer to earth wishing good cultivation. The Rais are mainly cultivators who consider themselves as the off springs of Paruhang (the Rai God) who is believed to have dwelled in the Himalayas. (ANI)

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Ancient Mexicans used to smoke pipes and drink tequila

May 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, May 14 (ANI): Archaeologists have discovered an island for ancient elites in central Mexico, which has ruins where some artifacts have been found that indicate that the inhabitants used to smoke pipes and drink alcoholic drinks, such as tequila, from A.D. 1400 to 1520.

According to a report in National Geographic News, the island features ruins of a treasury and a small pyramid that may have been used for rituals.

The island, called Apupato, belonged to the powerful Tarascan Empire, which dominated much of western Mexico from A.D. 1400 to 1520, before the European conquest of the region.

The Purepecha people-named Tarascan by the Spanish-were formidable enemies with their neighbors, the Aztec.

From their powerful capital city and religious center Tzintzuntzan, the Tarascans successfully thwarted every attack by the Aztec.

Tarascan people valued such products as honey, cotton, feathers, and salt, and they often expanded into neighboring lands in search of these goods.

Fisher and colleagues found a square structure with a formal entrance that is believed to have been an imperial treasury.

Adjacent to the treasury is a small pyramid, which has large, open rooms that would have been suitable for ritual activity.

Pipe fragments were also found near the treasury. The pipe discoveries may bear out ritual descriptions on a previously found ancient Spanish scroll.

The scroll shows people smoking pipes and drinking pulque-a drink made of agave, a crucial crop used for alcoholic drinks, such as tequila, and syrup, according to Fisher.

The scroll also describes ritual treasury caches dedicated to specific gods.

“Toward the end of the island’s Tarascan occupation, the area was a “ritual center” where people of elite status lived and worked,” said Fisher.

The team identified a colonial-era chapel from the early 1500s, built in the first 20 years of the Spanish conquest.

“Evidence of crop cultivation also suggests that humans continuously occupied the site for 2,000 years,” Fisher said.

The entire island was covered in agricultural terraces, possibly to grow agave.

People created the terraces by digging sections of land about 6.6 feet (2 meters) wide, with earthen walls and a ditch on either side. (ANI)

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