The G8 countries have promised to increase the spending on agricultural development by $20 billion over the next three years. The amount is woefully less than the $44 billion that will be needed each year to end malnutrition.  At the world leaders’ meeting in Copenhagen, it is imperative that governments pledge to adopt up-to-date technologies to boost food production as well as outweigh the negative impacts of climate change. A...

In a year of sparse rains and spiralling food prices, with hundreds of districts being officially declared as drought-hit, a rally by activists in the capital demands a Food Entitlements Act.  Perhaps the most vocal demands at the rally were those aimed at a complete revamp of the Public Distribution System (PDS), starting with universal — instead of targeted — coverage. Over 5,000 grassroots activists, agricultural workers, farmers, lawyers, doctors and...

Transgenic Cotton being hastily pushed in India, says researcher Technological alternatives available to switch from conventional production NEW DELHI: A panel discussion on ‘GM Foods and Food Security’ held here on Thursday highlighted differing opinions on the controversial subject, although the majority opinion was in favour of GM crops. Participating in the discussion, organised by the Institute of Economic Growth, Ronald Herring of Cornell University pointed out that Bt Cotton in India played an...

Food inflation soared to 17.47 per cent in the third week of November from 15.58 per cent a week ago, mirroring a shortage in supply that set in following weak monsoon in the country. With the economy on upswing, analysts said the rising food prices should prompt the government and the Reserve Bank of India to shift their focus on controlling inflation, otherwise it would increase manufacturing inflation as well. The...

To import rice or not? That is the question to which the government does not seem to have a clear-cut answer. Senior ministers have been losing no opportunity to talk about importing rice, citing the monsoon-induced shortfall in production as the reason. Somewhat contrarily, they have also been asserting that the government has enough stock of rice and there is no need for any worry about a supply shortage, but...