A majority of 201 Australian cattle imported to India for breeding in April 2002 have died, with many of them testing positive for "exotic diseases" during quarantine, parliament was informed Monday.
Australia, however, refused to take back the animals that were diagnosed with "exotic diseases," Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
Of the 201 cattle, only 49 are currently alive in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal - the two states that had imported them for breeding.
The Australian government cited its quarantine policy which bars the country from taking back the animals.
Tamil Nadu recorded the highest productivity of food-grains like rice, jowar, bajra and ragi for the period 1998-2003, Minister of State for Agriculture Kanti Lal Bhuria informed the Lok Sabha.
In respect of rice, the state recorded a yield of 3.44 tonnes a hectare (TPH), 0.95 TPH for jowar, 1.35 TPH for bajra and 1.98 TPH for ragi.
In case of oilseeds, the average productivity of groundnut in Tamil Nadu, which is 1.82 TPH, is the highest in India, Bhuria said in a written reply. Also, the state's sugarcane production, which was 106.41 TPH, was the highest in the country.
{{/usCountry}}In case of oilseeds, the average productivity of groundnut in Tamil Nadu, which is 1.82 TPH, is the highest in India, Bhuria said in a written reply. Also, the state's sugarcane production, which was 106.41 TPH, was the highest in the country.
{{/usCountry}}Potato production has witnessed an increase from 244,690 metric tonnes (MT) in 2003-04 to 256,760 MT in 2004-05, Minister of State for Agriculture Kanti Lal Bhuria informed the Lok Sabha.
He said the main potato growing states were West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Building concrete walls to protect the coastline from tsunami waves is not an eco-friendly measure, the parliament was informed Monday.
"Long-term rehabilitation of tsunami damaged coastal areas, where mangroves and plantations are severely affected, demands the strengthening of the vegetative barriers," Minister of State Kanti Lal Bhuria said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
Admitting that concrete walls were supposed to provide effective protection, he said they were not eco-friendly.
The Tamil Nadu government had urged the centre to allocate funds to build concrete walls along its entire coast to protect against tsunamis like the one that devastated the state Dec 26.