Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) has issue final figures for domestic cotton production in 2012-13.

Finally, a diversification policy is in place with maize and cotton to be targeted as focus crops to help reduce the area under paddy cultivation.

China, the world's largest food consumer, led developing countries in growing biotech crops last year, according to a report by an industry organization.

Haryana has achieved the highest ever productivity of kharif foodgrains-2012-13 and also recorded the highest ever rice production of 39.76 lakh tonnes since the inception of the state in 1966. This has been achieved despite the state received about 36.8 per cent less rainfall as against the normal rainfall from May to September, 2012.

A spokesman for the Haryana Agriculture Department said in case of coarse rice, 23.54 lakh tonnes of production with a productivity of 40.03 quintals per hectare in an area of 5.88 lakh hectares had been achieved. “This has remained highest both in production and productivity since 1966-67,” he said. Similarly, the production of basmati rice was also achieved at 16.22 lakh tonnes with a productivity of 25.87 quintals per hectare in an area of 6.27 lakh hectares which was also the highest since 1966-67.

An indigenous Bt cotton variety Bt Bikaneri Narma developed through a collaborative effort can no more be used for cultivation.

With organic farming having great potential in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said the state government is planning to set up a separate agency for certification of organic products.

A Bench of the Lok Adalat has observed that the use of banned pesticides has led to cervical and breast cancer among female agriculture labourers in six districts which fall under the Gulbarga revenue division.

The Bench comprising Justice D V Shylendra Kumar of the High Court and A N Yellappa Reddy, a member of the Lok Adalat, in its sitting in Bangalore on Saturday, directed the departments of health and agriculture to conduct a survey among labourers and suggest remedial measures.