Rats have literally driven a hole in the foodgrain stock of Punjab, destroying over ten lakh tonne of crops on an annual basis.
"Rodents, which are a serious problem for the farming sector, damage 4 per cent, 3.7 per cent and 11 per cent of wheat, rice and sugarcane output respectively every year in Punjab," said H S Sehgal, Head, Department of Zoology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) at Ludhiana.
Rats destroy almost 5.87 lakh tonne of wheat, 3.86 lakh tonne of rice and 7.21 lakh tonne of sugarcane while contaminating the crop with their faeces, urine and fur, he said.
The worst hit regions are Ludhiana, Kapurthala and Nawanshahar where wheat crop is grown, he said, adding wheat crop was more vulnerable to the attack due to adoption of zero tillage technique by state farmers for wheat sowing.
"Ever since, farmers have switched over to zero tillage technique of wheat sowing, the attacks have compounded," he said.
Showing posts with label Believe it or not. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Believe it or not. Show all posts
Monday, September 17, 2007
Britain's cities to have white minorities in 30 years
Believe it or not, white people in some of Britain's largest cities are likely to dwindle to a minority in 30 years due to a boom in ethnic populations.
Yes, according to researchers, the proportion of white people in every region of Britain will fall between now and 2020, and Leicester, Birmingham, Luton and Slough, are to have minority whites by 2037, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph.
"Leicester will become the first plural city within 12 years, by 2019, followed by Birmingham in 2024. The next towns to experience the boom in ethnic populations will be Luton and Slough some time in the 2030s," the daily quoted Ludi Simpson, a social statistician at Manchester University, as saying.
In Birmingham, he said, Asians would emerge as a majority community by 2027. "The Pakistani population in Birmingham is likely to double by 2026, but with two-thirds of this increase due to the relatively younger age profile of Pakistanis, rather than increased immigration." However, Bradford and Oldham, often thought to have larger ethnic populations, will stay white for the foreseeable future, according to Prof Simpson.
In fact, Prof Simpson and his team of demographers made the predictions using detailed analysis of census and local authority data. "Britain's growing diversity is clear and measurable but it is not as focussed on a few cities as many people imagine. Diversity is apparent in suburban and rural neighbourhoods too."
Yes, according to researchers, the proportion of white people in every region of Britain will fall between now and 2020, and Leicester, Birmingham, Luton and Slough, are to have minority whites by 2037, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph.
"Leicester will become the first plural city within 12 years, by 2019, followed by Birmingham in 2024. The next towns to experience the boom in ethnic populations will be Luton and Slough some time in the 2030s," the daily quoted Ludi Simpson, a social statistician at Manchester University, as saying.
In Birmingham, he said, Asians would emerge as a majority community by 2027. "The Pakistani population in Birmingham is likely to double by 2026, but with two-thirds of this increase due to the relatively younger age profile of Pakistanis, rather than increased immigration." However, Bradford and Oldham, often thought to have larger ethnic populations, will stay white for the foreseeable future, according to Prof Simpson.
In fact, Prof Simpson and his team of demographers made the predictions using detailed analysis of census and local authority data. "Britain's growing diversity is clear and measurable but it is not as focussed on a few cities as many people imagine. Diversity is apparent in suburban and rural neighbourhoods too."
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