-Frontline The inability to resolve pressing problems with respect to the production, distribution and availability of food is one of the important failures of the entire economic reform process. IN the fateful month of July 1991, when the devaluation of the Indian rupee presaged the introduction of a whole series of liberalising economic reforms, agriculture was very far from the minds of most policymakers and commentators. The immediate focus was on...

-The Indian Express Price and technology-led incentives alone will not help boost pulses and oilseeds production in the country. Indian agriculture is governed by an impossible trinity or “trilemma” that requires it to meet three simultaneous objectives — global competitiveness, social inclusiveness and environmental sustainability — each often at odds with the other two. Official policy has largely tilted towards supporting the first two goals, with token, if not grudging, acknowledgement of...

-The Times of India Pune: Torrential rain over some areas in the last few days has helped soothe the parched state, but experts advise that this will not end the spate of droughts. Those in the know point out that lack of rainfall does not necessarily lead to a crippling shortage of water, but it results from a lack of policies, missing drought-proofing infrastructure and lackadaisical institutional mechanisms. "It will be a normal...

-The Economic Times HYDERABAD: Delayed and inadequate monsoon across several cotton growing Indian states has dented sowing and hit hybrid seeds sales hard and producers have seen nearly a fifth of seed returns from their distributors, double that of last year. Normal returns from seed dealers hover at around 10% a year, adding to the woes of Indian hybrid seed firms that are currently in a prolonged wrangle with the global seed...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The government has set up a committee to review the minimum support price (MSP) and bonus for pulses to promote Cultivation of the staple commodity which has seen a fresh spike in prices. The decision came after an inter-ministerial review meeting headed by finance minister Arun Jaitley on Monday that was attended by food minister Ram Vilas Paswan and urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu. The Chief Economic...