-Vikalp The recently concluded Bali Ministerial marks an important milestone in the WTO negotiations. The National Food Security Act, 2013 in India has brought the issue of food security and hunger within developing countries to the forefront of the negotiations in the WTO. In this context, the G-33 proposal addressing the issue of non-recognition of food security concerns of developing countries within the global trade rules reflected a meaningful unity within...

-The Business Standard A quick recap of the intensely fractured debate on GM crops and what the pro & anti arguments are. After nearly a decade of opposition, Environment Minister Veerappa Moily is finally expected to rule in favour of the contentious GM or genetically modified food crops in India. The Economic Times reports that this will "pave the way for the government to submit an affidavit in the Supreme Court agreeing...

-Outlook Government today reduced minimum export price (MEP) of onion to USD 150 a tonne from USD 350 to boost shipments and check sharp fall in domestic prices that has led to Farmers protest in producing states. This is the third downward revision of onion MEP, the benchmark price below which the commodity can not be exported, this month. On December 16, the Centre had reduced it to USD 800 a tonne...

-The Telegraph Nagpur: The Maharashtra government has given a slew of private companies permission to conduct field trials of genetically modified crops at state agriculture universities' farms, rejecting its dissenting agriculture minister's suggestion for a public debate first. Before this, no Indian state had allowed field trials of GM crops since October last year, when a Supreme Court-appointed expert panel recommended a 10-year moratorium on such trials - though the court has...

-The Times of India DEHRADUN: Around 1200 tons of apples and potatoes have rotted in areas affected by the June flash floods in Uttarkhand as the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) could not move them to the markets due to poor connectivity of roads. Many roads are still not in a passable state in the region. The GMVN has suffered huge losses. GMVN's general manager of marketing Pratap Shah said, "GMVN had no...