Karnataka govt educating farmers on organic farming
4-Apr-09 Meri News
THE FARMERS of villages in Southern Indian State of Karnataka are not aware of organic farming. They are still using conventional methods of farming, which include chemical fertilizers cow dung and manure to grow their crops. “We aren’t aware about organic farming, as we use our ways to grow crops like ragi,” said Apanna, a farmer. He added that they use urea as a chemical fertilizer to cultivate their crops early and to earn more money.
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Nominee for No. 2 USDA job defends organic past
02-Apr-09 Reuters Monay
The Obama administration's nominee for the U.S. Agriculture Department's No. 2 job on Wednesday defended her work on organic food from Senate critics who questioned whether she could work with other farmers.
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CIH may act as coordinating institute for NE
01-Apr-09 The Morung Express
NE region has been recognised as one of the ‘most potential’ regions in the country, also each of the states of the region has been prioritised on development of horticulture in terms of nutritional security, protective food, higher economic return per unit area, avenues for self employment, etc, said Dr. N K Mohan, former Chief Scientist at the Horticulture Research Station, Assam Agriculture University, while addressing the 3rd foundation day celebration of the Central Institute of Horticulture (CIH), at the auditorium of SASRD, NU, Medziphema, in Dimapur, on March 26 last.
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Global organic cotton sales up 63 percent in 2008
2-Apr-09 Reuters India
Global retail sales of organic cotton apparel and home textile products climbed 63 percent in 2008 to $3.2 billion, a report said on Wednesday.
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Weikfield Foods bags the International Food Standard DNV
01-Apr-09 FNBnews.com
DNV (Det Norske Veritas) has issued the first Sincert accredited IFS (International Food Standard) certificate in India to the Tea division of Weikfield Foods Pvt. Ltd in Pune.
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Turn to Organic Farming, says Dr Hariprasad
9-Apr-09 Daiiji World.com
Mangalore, Apr 9: Dr Hariprasad of Caritas India on Wednesday April 8 called upon farmers to not depend upon chemical fertilizers and instead to resort to organic farming so as to save the natural resources.
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Green's the colour of these homes
10-Apr-09 DH Reality
Hunter Douglas, the world market leader in window coverings and major manufacturer of architectural products recently introduced a high-definition architectural material, under the brand 3form. 3form provides award-winning, eco-friendly solutions for the Architecture and Design industry. With a commitment to the environment, 3form allows for one to amalgamate innovativeness, design ingenuity and functionality while keeping in mind carbon footprints.
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Organic products have more takers
12-Apr-09 The Hindu
A global movement on the use of organic cotton-based products was evolving rapidly and exporters must take note of the development to stay ahead of competitors, speakers stressed at a workshop on ‘Organic textiles certification programmes and recycling standards’ held here recently.
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Maharashtra gives a big push to organic farming 42 pts and above
15-Apr-09 The Economic Times
Organic farming is now a movement in Maharashtra, thanks to the few motivated individuals who acted as its advocates. Shriniwas Kulkarni was attracted to the idea of chemical free food, quit his career in an MNC to start a retail outlet, Organic and Naturals, in Pune. That was six years ago.
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U.S. sets survey of organic farming and marketing
24-Apr-09 Reuters India
The U.S. government will make its first in-depth survey of organic farming this spring, an eight-page questionnaire on which crops and livestock are produced, how they are grown and where they are sold.
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Think organic this mango season
25-Apr-09 The Times of India
Not everything about summer is drab and sweaty; there're sweet and sour joys as well. Yes, the mango season is approaching and many farms already have a bumper crop. The best part is that they're not artificially ripened or chemically induced! Instead, they're organic mangoes of traditional varieties.
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Soils need living carbon as humus
2009-05-01 Climate Ark News Archieve
Burning trees and biomass has ironically emerged as a “solution” to climate change. Following the false solution of industrial bio fuels we now have the waste left from production of bio fuels as the next magic bullet. The process used is pyrolysis – incineration that chemically decomposes organic materials by heat in the absence of oxygen. Through pyrolysis organic matter is transformed into gases and small quantities of liquid, used as bio fuels. The waste is a solid residue containing carbon and ash. This waste has now been given the elegant name “biochar”. It is being wrongly treated as the same as “Terra Preta de Indio” -- the black soils created by the indigenous people of the Amazon by burying charcoal over hundreds of years. Charcoal in every soil and every ecosystem can prove to be an ecological disaster.
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Zeme Organics to open multiple outlets
20-Apr-09 Indiaretailing.com
Organic clothing major Zeme Organics is all set to franchise its business in India. According to a press release, the company has ventured into the franchising market and will open multiple outlets across the country. The development came after the company joined hands with retail solution provider Franchise India Holdings.
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Integrated farming emerges a viable option for Kerala
09-Apr-09 iStockAnalyst
Integrated farming is emerging as a viable proposition for farmers in Kerala, given its geographical and weather conditions, as can be inferred from the experience of a successful farmer in Wayanad.
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Create the new EU Organic Logo
29-Apr-09 ORGANIC-Market.info
In July 2010, a new EU logo for organic products will be introduced throughout the European Union. The European Commission has started a contest for the design of the new logo. EU design or art students are invited to submit their most innovative designs to the competition. Participants must be registered at an academy, university or college in one of the 27 EU Member States. The entries must be submitted by 25 June 2009.
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Scotland: Growing demand for organic milk
29-Apr-09 ORGANIC-Market.info
According to Stuart Martin, marketing manager at the Scottish Organic Milk Producers' Association, organic produce is perceived by consumers to be an expensive premium brand. Therefore, in times of recession, sales may suffer. The price differential between conventional milk and organic milk, however, is the lowest it has been for a decade and consumers are taking advantage of that. While the price for conventional milk at retail level has risen by 14 % over the last year, organic milk has increased by 5 %.
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Australia: Organic Market Report
22-Apr-09 ORGANIC-Market.info
Australian rural industries research will be provided a valuable new data platform with the introduction of regular biennial organic market reports, says Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) Director and Organic Standards Convenor Dr. Andrew Monk. The first Australian Organic Market Report was commissioned and published in 2008 by the Biological Farmers of Australia from independent research by the University of New England, and work on the next report, to be produced in the first half of 2010, will begin in mid-2009.
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Italy: Organic Fruit in vending machines
15-Apr-09 ORGANIC-Market.info
Fresh organic products are now available in 150 vending machines placed in schools and workplaces in Italy. It is an exclusively offer of organics - fruit and salads - for the same price as conventional products. A great opportunity for schools to stress the importance of fruit and vegetables for pupils' health and the environment, reports Greenplanet. Fruit boxes are all certified organic and replace the former ones coming from integrated production.
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Shades of Green: Quantifying the Benefits of Organic Dairy Production
Apr-09 The Organic Centre
A calculator has been developed to help consumers, dairy farmers, and food companies estimate the avoided environmental, public health, and animal welfare impacts associated with shifting dairy cows from conventional to organic management.
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Alnatura logistics centre - digging the first turf
30-Apr-09 ORGANIC-Market.info
The German company Alnatura, that has its headquarters in Bickenbach in south Hessen, is building one of the biggest and most environmentally friendly organic logistics centres in Europe. In the middle of March, the first turf was dug in Lorsch, that is 20 km from the company headquarters. In a time of economic crisis it was a positive signal, and many prominent politicians were there to celebrate the new venture. The organic industry is still showing few signs of the crisis: last year, Alnatura recorded a rise in turnover of 24 % to 304 million euros.
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Rewe takes a minority share in Spanish organic company
28-Apr-09 ORGANIC-Market.info
Sustainability is under discussion more than ever before in the food business, and not just in the wholefood trade. All the big food concerns are in the process of implementing their concepts and promises. By acquiring a minority share in the Spanish organic vegetable company Campina Verde, the Rewe Group has secured even closer collaboration than before. With this move, and in other respects too, Rewe is taking its green promises seriously. Are the organic pioneers falling behind?
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The Natural Kitchen: location for London gourmets
06-Apr-09 ORGANIC-Market.info
The fine food supermarket “The Natural Kitchen” was opened in May 2007 with a very high number of staff. It then got into financial difficulties, and nine months after its launch it was taken over by another operator after the previous owner, Keith Bird, went bankrupt. “We took the store over in March 2008,” explains the present owner and managing director Justin Green. Presentation in the specialist store in London’s Marylebone High Street has become much more attractive, and tables have been set out in front of the shop. The number of employees has been reduced from about 50 to 30 and there is now a different emphasis in the marketing strategy.
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The organic market in France
03-Apr-09 ORGANIC-Market.info
The wholefood trade in France continues to be outstanding through its dynamism: 37 % of shops are less than 5 years old. The average size of shops has grown from a good 120 m² in 2006 to 148 m² at the end of 2008. This information was produced by a survey carried out by the German-French consulting organisation Ecozept that is based in Montpellier. The independent specialist store owners recorded 12 % growth over two years, and growth of chain stores was much higher at around 18 %. Half of store operators have noted a change in consumer behaviour occasioned by the financial crisis, but only 11 % reported a decline in turnover. Organic.Market.Info is posting a country report from “The Specialised Organic Retail Report Europe 2008”, published by Ecozept, the Organic Retailers Association ORA and Biovista.
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Tips for shopping in the Organic food section
30-Apr-09 Consumer
SEATTLE - Organic food, of course, offers a lot of health benefits. After all, it's grown without any chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
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Hospitals adding fresh, organic food to the menu
27-Apr-09 Los Angeles Times
More hospitals in the U.S. are offering organic produce and hormone- and antibiotic-free meats and dairy foods in response to a trend toward healthier eating habits.
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Organic agriculture: The way forward
22-Apr-09 The Economic Times
Manoj Kumar Menon
ED, International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture
Increasing consciousness about conservation of environment and health hazards associated with agrochemicals have led to the growing interest in alternate forms of food production. Manoj Kumar Menon tells us about the market potential of eco-friendly food products in India
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