A farmer walks near an irrigation canal in Kadamtali, about 65 km east of Guwahati, on Tuesday. Excessive irrigation and the unrelenting thirst of tens of millions of people are causing groundwater levels in north India to drop dramatically, a probl em that could lead to severe water shortages, according to a study conducted by NASA. Photo: AP
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Govt may release 45 lakh tonnes of foodgrains in open market
New Delhi (PTI): The Centre may offload about 30 lakh tonnes of wheat and 15 lakh tonnes of rice out of its reserves in the open market to contain the rise in prices of foodgrains at a time when about one-fourth of the country is reeling under a ... More

India's lower rice production to dent world's output
New Delhi (PTI): The US has downsized world's rice production by 15 million tonnes following an estimated decline in output of an equal quantity of the grain in India possibly due to drought.In July the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had ... More

Coffee consumption may grow by half million bags
New Delhi (PTI): The global slowdown has had no impact on the world's coffee drinking habit and consumption of the beverage is poised to grow by about half a million bags this year to 129 million bags compared to last year, according to a ... More