-PTI Demands include compensation for drought, increase in MSP Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday assured tribal farmers that their forest land rights claims will be settled by December this year. Fadnavis gave assurance to representatives of the protesting farmers who marched to Azad Maidan here for redressal of their grievances, which include compensation for drought and transfer of forest rights to tribals. A delegation of the protesting tribals met Fadnavis at...

-Economic and Political Weekly The cultivating millions need a responsive nation; they have decided not to flee or desert it. In the last few months, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), consisting of nearly 200 farmers’ organisations, has been mobilising farmers for a march towards Delhi (Dilli Chalo). They plan to reach the capital city on 29 and 30 November. The AIKSCC’s main agenda is the demand for a special...

-The Hindu Business Line New Delhi: Renowned agricultural scientist and the chief architect of the green revolution in India, MS Swaminathan, was awarded the first World Agriculture Prize for his contributions to Indian agriculture by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu here on Friday. While giving away the award, which carries prize money of $1,00,000 (?73,45,500), instituted by the nongovernmental Indian Council of Food and Agriculture, Naidu said “like we have most favoured nation, we...

-Financial Express Grain production plummeted from 89.4 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 1964-65 to 72.4 MMT in 1965-66. India became heavily dependent on PL 480 food aid from US and underwent a ‘ship-to-mouth’ crisis. October 16 is celebrated as ‘World Food Day’ to mark the creation of United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945. It envisions zero world hunger by 2030. Perhaps the occasion is incomplete without remembering Nobel Peace...

-The Hindu Business Line New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government has betrayed farmers on its promise of providing remunerative minimum support prices (MSP) by announcing floor prices for rabi crops for 2018-19 far below the promised C2+50 per cent, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) said on Thursday. “What is notable is that this comes just after the much-hyped claims after farmers’ protests on Tuesday that the BJP will address all concerns of...