Global shortage of 400 million kg of tobacco spurs export demand for the crop; premium leaves fetch farmers in Prakasam and Nellore districts a record ₹210 a kg during e-auctions

Standing Committee also questions the high GST rate on components of fertilizers

Hemant Sikka says the farm machinery industry is expected to grow from ₹9,200 crores in financial year 2022 to ₹15,000 crores in financial year 2026.

Farmers associated with as many as 16 farmer outfits from the States Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand would be participating

A look at the various limits and bans on wheat and rice stocks and exports in the recent past, and their impact

The multi-state cooperative has so far earned Rs. 22 crore profit from April during the current financial year

The association also urged APEDA to exempt imported raw cashew nuts from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) clearance in customs.

Once a ubiquitous beast of burden, the donkey is slowly making its way out of oblivion in Tiruchi as the global beauty industry discovers the benefits of its milk

Farmers are afraid to go to the fields because of sporadic firing by armed miscreants from higher grounds 

The Board is expected to help develop and grow the spice’s market in India, which controls over 62% share of the turmeric world trade

On August 19, the Union government imposed a 40% duty on the export of onions until December 31,

Growers in Punjab are worried over the drop in prices in the ongoing season and have demanded State intervention; many fear that they won’t be able to recover input cost

India’s banana export destinations extend beyond the Middle East, with potential opportunities in major global players like the USA, Russia, Japan, Germany, China, the Netherlands, the UK, and France.

Economic think tank GTRI (Global Trade Research Initiative) in its report said that India needs to cut its reliance on imported vegetable oils to promote better health outcomes and also reduce the import bill

Govt prepared to extend necessary support to the company in expanding its oil palm and dairy businesses 

“The government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing systematic inequalities, which have plagued the society,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The revival of agricultural growth from its long-term slump requires imaginative policy shifts and decisive fiscal measures, but the Budget provides no indications of such a plan or intent

Minister Anurag Thakur says the decision will benefit 5 crore farmers, including family members, and lakhs of other persons involved in the sugar sector

Traders are allowed to export this quantity till March 31

BKS terms the government’s attitude towards farmers’ demands “regrettable”; seeks MSPs, abolition of GST on agri inputs, and increase in Kisan Samman Nidhi income support payments for farmers

A group of developing and least developed countries want WTO to find a solution to the issue of public stockholding of rice and wheat

Farmers hardly get 30% of the price paid by the consumers. This will increase if MSP is guaranteed

Karnataka Agriculture Price Commission headed by Prakash Kammaradi submitted a report on the legally backed MSP to the government in 2018

Outbound shipments now feasible if global buyers pay at least $770 a tonne for Indian onions

The decision assumes importance as it comes before the crucial Lok Sabha polls in key onion belts like Nashik, Ahmednagar and Solapur in Maharashtra

This partnership is expected to enable farmers to avail hassle-free, affordable, and flexible credit facilities.

Reserve Bank of India’s annual report highlights MSPs, foodgrain stocks, and challenges faced by agriculture in 2023-24

Shivraj Singh Chouhan has also been allocated the Rural Development Ministry in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new Cabinet

The country is among those most vulnerable to water management risks, and has the poorest access to basic services, including water, among G-20 economies, the rating major flagged

A release said the award signifies the station’s unwavering commitment to maintain the highest standards in quality seed production and has emerged as a front runner setting an example for excellence in the field of seed production

How H&M, Zara and Marks & Spencer are buying viscose from highly polluting factories in Asia. By Natasha Hurley.

Power rests in the hands of a corrupt military and political oligarchy that denies people the right to self-determination, reports Hamza Hamouchene.

A group of Indian Ocean islanders, forcibly removed from their homes 50+ years ago and deported to England, are still fighting for recognition and basic rights. By Alexi Demetriadi.

Marc Robert's monthly cartoon, from our June magazine.

Kim Jong-un's headline grabbing aggressive irrationalism takes some beating (though he might have met his match in recent times...)

The guerrillas are handing weapons over to the UN, but they are in fear. Thomas Mortensen reports from Urabá.

A source of corruption and environmental degradation. Rod Harbinson reports.

A gesture of love and solidarity from estates and communities in East London to Grenfell and their local community.

How Senegal is trying to involve the diaspora to curb emigration. By Sofia Christensen

The author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist talks to Graeme Green about extremism, the refugee crisis and feeling at home in the past.

We talked to homeless in different countries and they revealed housing insecurity's different causes around the world.

I often use surfing as a metaphor for new technology. Go too early and you don't catch the wave. Go too late and you don't catch it either. Similarly next generation hardware or software may be too early for its time. I found myself wondering if this was the case for Google Glass and AI.

For those who don't remember, Google Glass was an early augmented reality headset that despite early excitement was ultimately shuttered. I spent time with the developer version of Google Glass in 2013 and, while promising, didn't think it was ready. But the technical capabilities of the device were impressive especially for its time. Glass featured:

• a camera for taking photos and video
• a microphone for accepting voice commands
• a speaker for audio input only you could hear (bone conduction)
• a mini projector to display information and interface controls in the corner of your field of vision
• a trackpad for controlling the interface and voice commands
• a number of sensors for capturing and reacting to device movement, like head gestures
• WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity

What Google Glass didn't have is AI. That is, vision and language models that can parse and react to audio and video from the real World. As I illustrated in a look at early examples of multi-modal personal assistants: faced with a rat's nest of signs, you want to know if it's ok to park your car. A multi-modal assistant could take an image (live camera feed or still photo), a voice command (in natural language), and possibly some additional context (time, location, historical data) as input and assemble a response (or action) that considers all these factors.

Google Glass had a lot of the technical capabilities (except for processing power) to make this possible in a lightweight form factor. Maybe it just missed the AI wave.