-Hindustan Times India has consistently maintained that this position is based on both an erroneous reading of the nature and intent of India’s price support mechanisms and underplays the scale of America’s support to farmers. Washington: As elections for the House of Representatives loom, a group of Republican Congressional representatives from America’s agricultural belt or with agricultural interests have stepped up the rhetoric against India’s agricultural subsidies — alleging that these distort...

-The Hindu Business Line A bank-supported NGO initiative has transformed agriculture in the Hubli-Dharwad area Can a small investment of, say, ₹97,000, for digging farm ponds make for increase in farm incomes and improvement in farmers’ livelihoods? Can such farm ponds lead to an increase in cropping intensity and higher productivity? Can these minor investments then be replicated across the country as only 50 per cent of India’s net sown area of...

-Financial Express The extent of asymmetry between the support extended by the developing and the developed countries was brought to the fore in an earlier paper jointed submitted by India, China and some others. India, along with 80-odd developing countries, has sought a revision of the over three-decade-old external reference prices of farm commodities that are used by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to calculate current domestic farm subsidies extended by developing...

-Down to Earth Suitable policies need to be in place in order to enhance the prospects for contract farming in the state A 52-year-old, better-off farmer from Sehjo Majra in Ludhiana district of Punjab has been practising contract farming for more than 20 years. This farmer contracts with four companies — Pepsico Pvt Ltd, Pagro Foods Ltd, Fieldfresh Foods Pvt Ltd and Sungro Seeds Pvt Ltd. However, his longest association has been with...

-The Hindu  While farmers suffer due to a lack of minimum support price, workers are also in distress for want of a proper system for wages and social security MORBI/JAMNAGAR: Bharat C. Raval, president of the Indian Salt Manufacturers’ Association (ISMA), started his career as a salt inspector with the Gujarat government. After spending 19 months in the government, he was attracted towards the salt cooperatives initiated by none other than Dr....