-The Hindu State officials are apprehensive of targeted coverage and allocations Chennai: The National Food Security Bill, which is again in news these days, may be generating much excitement in most parts of the country, but not in Tamil Nadu. The reason: a more comprehensive model in the form of universal public distribution system is in place. Successive State governments in Tamil Nadu have held that the coverage of the PDS should be...

-The Hindu CM criticises move to remove levy obligation on sugar mills Chennai: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has strongly opposed the Centre's decision to remove the levy obligation on sugar mills, contending that it will impact on the public distribution system in the State. Under the levy obligation, as part of the regulation of the sugar sector, every sugar mill mandatorily surrenders 10 per cent of its production to the Central government at a...

-New Age Asia’s ability to keep food prices in check and ensure long-term regional food security will require the region’s farm to market supply chains to become more efficient and cost-effective, says a new Asian Development Bank  study. The Study titled ‘The Quiet Revolution in Staple Food Value Chains: Enter the Dragon, the Elephant and the Tiger’, was produced by ADB and the International food Policy Research Institute in response to the...

-The Times of India Stocking up of foodgrains by the government could be one of the major factors for the continuing surge in food prices, warn experts. Latest wholesale price data available on the industry department's website shows that wheat prices are up almost 20% in October compared to a year ago. That's at a time when the government is holding stocks of 42 million tonnes — three times the buffer stock...

-The Economic Times The fear of drought in India has abated with late precipitation of the monsoon in September this year. However, the country continues to suffer from a drought of formalised tabulated data of agro items on a real-time or monthly basis, though many estimates continue to fatigue the print and electronic media.  Red or green prices flashing on computer screens are taken for 'granted', but the discovery of future or...