Spiralling prices of pulses have shown India’s dependence on imports. Pulses are integral to India’s diet but not its food policy. As a result, supply cannot meet demand. What are the consequences and solutions? Surendra Nath has switched to eating grass-pea, though he knows it is not good for health. But so is tobacco, he argues. He cannot do without pulses and pigeon-pea selling at Rs 100 a kg is beyond...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Drought lowers sugar production by 9.6%
Sugar output in India, the biggest grower after Brazil, fell 9.6% in the first two months of the season that began 1 October, said an official at the Indian Sugar Mills Association. Mills produced 1.7 million tonnes (mt), down from 1.88mt a year ago, as drought hurt the cane crop and a price dispute delayed crushing, the official said. He didn’t want to be identified as the information was not public....
More »Farmers to “gherao” Parliament over sugarcane price by Gargi Parsai
No other government has brought such a black law against farmers: Ajit Singh More farmers join the dharna on Parliament Street They will march in a procession on Thursday and hold a rally at Jantar Mantar In a formidable show of strength, farmers belonging to various organisations have begun to pour into the Capital to lodge their protest on the opening day of the winter session of Parliament here on...
More »Farm Suicides
KEY TRENDS • Suicide by self-employed persons in agriculture as a percentage of total suicides at the national level stood at 15.6 percent in 1996, 16.3 percent in 2002, 14.4 percent in 2006, 13.7 percent in 2009, 11.9 percent in 2010, 10.3 percent in 2011, 11.4 percent in 2012 and 8.73 percent in 2013. Suicides committed in the farming sector (by farmers plus agricultural labourers) as a proportion of total suicides in India was 9.4 percent in...
More »Malnutrition
KEY TRENDS • According to The State of the World's Children 2019 report, the proportion of children under 5 years who are either stunted, wasted or overweight was 54 percent for India in 2015, 49 percent for Afganistan, 46 percent for Bangladesh in 2014, 43 percent for Nepal in 2016, 43 percent for Pakistan in 2018, 40 percent for Bhutan in 2010, 32 percent for Maldives in 2009, 28 percent for Sri Lanka and 50...
More »