Muktsar,Punjab, India : With agricultureno more remunerative for the poor farmers, and a few jobs for theunemployed youth, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal todayappealed to both these aggrieved lots to adopt dairy farming, with thepromise that the state government would provide subsidy in t...
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Some of our songs about Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer,Baby Jesus, and the holiday of Christmas are probably older than youthink. Can you believe that one of the oldest Christmas carols wasactually put together in the 300s? That is 1,700 years ago if you needus to do the math for you. It...
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The Congress is already in election mode. Party President Sonia Gandhi,addressing her first rally in Gujarat on Saturday, did not take up theGodhra issue, but questioned the BJP's commitment to Ram and communalharmony. "They provoke the sentiments of the people through the RamSetu issue but do n...
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CHANDIGRH: Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langahemphasized on the   need for increased production to meet the need ofincreasing population and showed the concern for declining foodproduction and decreasing land holdings.   This was disclosed here today after inauguratingconfere...
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Chennai: Following are the wholesale prices of vegetables at the Koyambedu market here on Thursday. Rates quoted per Kg: Brinjal Rs 6.00 Common Hedge 6.00, Cucumber Rs 6.00, Field Beans Rs 20.00, Snake Gourd Rs 6.00, Yam Rs 6.00, Kales Root Rs 8.00, Drumstick Rs 17.00, Bitter Gourd Rs 8.00, Cluster ...
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Chandigarh: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has released Rs 182.72 crore to 1,039 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in 12 districts of Haryana under Cooperative Revival Package. This money is being released consequent to the signing of an MoU between the Harya...
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BANANA belongs to the genus Musa of the monocot family Musaceae. The fruit is indigenous to the warm, moist regions of tropical Asia -- Bangladesh, India, Burma, Thailand and Indo-China. Composition of edible portion of the fruit is 74.8 per cent water, 1.2 per cent protein, 0.2 per cent fat, 0.84 ...
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Russia has tested the world's most powerful vacuum bomb that can generate a pressure wave that reaches much further than that from a conventional explosive unleashes a destructive shockwave with the power of a nuclear blast. The bomb is the latest in a series of new Russian weapons and policy ...
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AHMEDABAD: As Europeans consume more yellow onions, known for low pungency and thicker rings, India is gearing up cater to the mounting demand. The onion growers in Mahrashtra and Gujarat are fast gearing up to cater to the European taste buds with these hybrid onions. The yellow onions which a...
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ESCONDIDO : Seven watermelons, 189 ears of corn, 109 tomatoes, 28 cucumbers, 125 grapefruits, 29 cantaloupes, three squash and one pumpkin. Three pounds of radishes, 16 pounds of plums and 34.7 pounds of green beans. Ken Birch knows exactly how much produce he has harvested from his garden so fa...
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LAHORE: To promote the livestock sector, the Livestock and Dairy Development Board (LDDB) will establish 300 ?milk chilling plants? across the country in the next five years. These plants will entertain small and landless farmers to improve their living standard through milk collection and mark...
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MUMBAI: Spices export is likely to touch $1 billion by 2008-09 on higher demand for chilli, cumin and mint products, said Spices Board chief VJ Kurian here on Monday. The country is likely to export spices worth $875 million in 2007-08, up 10% from a year ago, according to the data from the boa...
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WASHINGTON: U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Gale Buchanan today announced that USDA researchers have finalized an action plan for dealing with colony collapse disorder (CCD) of honey bees. The plan can be read at: www.ars.usda.gov/is/br/ccd/cc...
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To help family farmers and seed producers better meet market demands and remain independent and profitable, a new initiative is under way. Spearheaded by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant geneticist Linda Pollak, it?s being called the Breeding High-Quality Corn for Sustainable, Low-Input Far...
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The bacterium that causes leptospirosis, one of the most widespread infections transmitted between animals and humans, appears to be changing in ways that could limit its ability to survive and thrive. Research suggests that Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo, which commonly infects cattle,...
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In the ensuing monsoon session of Parliament the SAD will raise the issue regarding keeping Punjab under the disturbed area category even after return of normalcy. The SAD will put pressure on the Central government to withdraw the notification vide which it had declared Punjab a disturbed area. ...
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Continued stalling by Australia over apple imports makes it more likely New Zealand will take a case to the World Trade Organisation, Trade Minister Phil Goff says. In Parliament yesterday, National Party agriculture spokesman David Carter questioned why it was taking the Government so long to ge...
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WASHINGTON: The chairman of the agricultural trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization in Geneva has circulated a draft proposal on cotton subsidies that the Memphis-based National Cotton Council considers unacceptable. The council urged the Bush administration to oppose "the cotton-spe...
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KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan's heroin-producing poppy crop set another record this season, despite intensified eradication efforts, the American ambassador said Tuesday. Ambassador William Wood said preliminary data show that Afghan farmers harvested 457,135 acres of opium poppies this year, ...
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KAILUA-KONA: Even though Hawaii tropical fruit growers are challenged by inconsistent supplies and lower-priced Asian imports, specialty fruits such as lychee and rambutan have become a multimillion-dollar industry. On the Big Island, thousands of exotic fruit trees are being planted each year, ...
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The export market for tropical fruits is enormous. Papaya, pineapple and starfruit are just some of the fruits that are being exported successfully to Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and the Middle East. But more fruits can be exported as Malaysia produces a wide variety. Currently, watermelon, banana,...
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NEW DELHI[INDIA]: The government defended its recent purchase of 511,000 tonne wheat from the overseas market at high prices and said it would import more wheat on regular basis. A total of 5 million tonne wheat would be imported in the current year. Speaking to mediapersons at the sidelines of ...
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JAMSHEDPUR : Not having been able to amend the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act on the lines of the central Act is depriving retail chains like Reliance Fresh in Jharkhand from having their own marketing yards as well as preventing other such chains from entering the state. Jh...
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Divorce rates are increasing in India, show court figures. And this societal trend is visible not only among the rich in big cities but also among the not so affluent in small towns. The Indian capital leads with the highest number of divorces in the country, with more than 8,000-9,000 cases ever...
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RAJKOT[INDIA]: Groundnut sowing in Saurashtra will witness at least 10 per cent jump this year with farmers hopeful of getting good prices. The sowing operation in Saurashtra-Kutch is going on in full swing with sufficient rains so far. With Tuesday, being ?Bhim Agiyaras? an auspicious day for th...
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Dubai: Prices of apples and oranges have skyrocketed by as much as 154 per cent in three months, while rice and white sugar costs have fluctuated, data released by the Ministry of Economy showed. Click here for selected commodities prices (pdf) Carrefour Abu Dhabi increased the price of Chile-...
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Ludhiana,PUNJAB[INDIA]: Keeping in view the rising input cost and declining profitability, Punjab government has asked the Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP) to fix Minimum Support Price for wheat at Rs 1015 per quintal for the next rabi season. "We have suggested the CACP to rai...
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SHIMLA [INDIA]: With both the minimum and the maximum temperatures maintaining their upward trend as the night temperature rose to 20.2 degrees Celsius and maximum temperature to 29.7 degrees, this famous summer resort is also facing the pangs of hot waves sweeping over plains. Thursday night was...
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NEW DELHI: Russia on Tuesday banned imports of rice and two other commodities from India after finding pests in some consignments, Press Trust of India reported. It said New Delhi had sought time from Russia till November saying that the new crop would be free from the problem. "Actual ban was...
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RAJKOT : Planning to step out to buy vegetables? Better avoid the vegetable markets, all of which are located in the old city areas. This message, however, is meaningless for those from the city?s newly developed areas,who have already tried taking on the traffic congestion and long distance invo...
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