The recent spike in world food prices has further widened the gap between the developed and the developing economies. While, over 70 per cent of the world's population resides in poor countries, it has access to less than 40 per cent of the world's resources such as water, irrigated land, power, etc. This is a result of inconsistent economic progress (post-colonialisation birth pangs), rampant population growth and distractions such as...

The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) has welcomed the government decision to raise the minimum support price (MSP) for pulses for the kharif season. The increase, which ranges from Rs 380 per quintal to Rs 700 per quintal, is part of the government’s strategy to boost production of pulses in the country. The hike in MSP for pulses this year is significant, both in terms of absolute increase and percentage...

The Maharashtra government may intervene to make farmers accept a lower price for sugarcane supplied to mills, given the way these have gone out of line with current market prices. Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has convened a meeting on Thursday with mill representatives on the issue. With the current cane prices of Rs 240-250 a quintal delivery at the mill gate, the cost of Sugar Production comes to around Rs 2,700...

CUDDALORE: As labour shortage has been “daunting the farm sector,” the Joint Action Council of farmers' associations has appealed to the government to review the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREG) Scheme that takes away a major chunk of the workforce. The JAC, which met here on Monday , adopted a resolution. It said that besides the vagaries of weather, what was hindering the growth of the farm sector...

Driven by spiralling prices of essential items, inflation surged into double digits at 10.16 per cent in May, the highest in the last 19 months, adding to the woes of the common man. Soaring inflation, according to analysts, may prompt the Reserve Bank to tighten liquidity at its quarterly monetary policy review scheduled next month. The essential items which have become expensive, directly hitting the pocket of the common man, include pulses,...