-The Hindu Business Line Though the overall price trend is declining, for many items of daily consumption, especially food, it has risen Wholesale and consumer price indices are trending lower, but this has not brought relief to the common man. In May, the wholesale price index recorded negative growth for the seventh consecutive month. The consumer price index edged marginally higher in May to 5.01 per cent, from 4.87 per cent a...

-Hindustan Times India’s June-September monsoon, the lifeblood of Asia’s third-largest economy, will most likely be “deficient” this year with the met department downgrading its forecast from 93% to 88%, earth sciences minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday.   The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) revision -- which had forecast “below normal” monsoon in April -- will potentially toughen challenges for the Narendra Modi government already battling a farm crisis triggered by unseasonal rains in...

-Livemint.com With India staring at the prospect of a poor monsoon, benign neglect of the agricultural sector continues to the present regime even as rural distress is peaking, warn analysts New Delhi: The signs were there as early as a year ago. When Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister, India was staring at the prospect of poor rains. The 12% deficit in monsoon sparked a drought that parched major farming...

-The New Indian Express The financial distress in the rural sector, especially borne by the farmers and reflected in farmer suicides, is a matter of concern for the nation. The rural economy housing nearly two-thirds of the population is vital for the development of the nation as it not only supplies food for consumption but also provides a market for industrial output. The rural people, due to lack of awareness of...

A recent press release from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that the area affected by recent rains and hailstorms is estimated to be 189.81 lakh hectares (on 24 April 2015), which is nearly double the total area affected that was earlier estimated on 16 April 2015. (See the link below). Experts argue that such extreme weather events may severely damage food economy of the nation, apart from breaking the spirit...