-TheWire.in While there may be no fears of a shortage, the national lockdown and its implementation have dealt a raw deal to most stakeholders within the system. New Delhi: Ghazipur’s vegetable and flower mandi wears a forlorn look these days. Just a few kilometres from the Anand Vihar Bus Terminal, which was thronged by thousands of migrant workers last weekend, the flower mandi’s business is muted, mirroring to a certain extent the stark...

-Down to Earth Studies have pegged consumption of phosphatic fertilizers in Punjab at ten times higher than the national average The media has consistently reported on cancer deaths in the Malwa region of Punjab. While a definite scientific finding on the same is awaited, there have been varying conclusions which may, at best, be speculative in nature. But first, it is important to bring out facts which are uncontested. Studies have pegged consumption...

-The Indian Express Turnaround in farm prices is the only good news in today’s overall dismal economic environment. The Narendra Modi government’s first term (June 2014 to May 2019) was marked by benign consumer food price inflation. At a mere 3.3% year-on-year, it averaged below even the 4.3% for overall retail inflation. Politically, the ruling party benefited, given that there are far more consumers of milk in India than dairy farmers. The...

-Livemint.com * Despite the slowdown in rural demand, the spike in food prices is not showing any signs of cooling. Here’s why * This is the best time for the budget to address the volatility in food prices. Reliable market intelligence on crop production and timely advisories to farmers can help stabilize prices New Delhi: For more than five years now, the Indian countryside has only heard stories of anguish. Consecutive years of...

-IdeasforIndia.in Usharmukti, a project of the Government of West Bengal, is being carried out in collaboration with civil society organisations in the western part of the state, to carry out watershed activities under MNREGA to conserve soil and water. In this note, Ashwini Kulkarni describes the main idea behind and working of the innovative project from her visit to the project area. When a farmer says that with potato in Rabi season...