Bharti Wal-Mart Pvt. Ltd, the 50:50 wholesale retailing joint venture between Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of the US and India’s Bharti Enterprises Ltd, plans to enlist about 35,000 farmers in the next 5-year to source fresh produce as it opens more stores. Currently, Bharti Wal-Mart sources fruits and vegetables from more than 600 farmers in Punjab and other states. Last week, it opened its fourth Best Price Modern Wholesale store in Kota...

Tomoto price has plummeted to Rs. 4 a kg in the wholesale markets in Royakottai, Krishnagiri, Shoolagiri and Hosur because of a bumper crop this season. The price now ranges between Rs. 4 and Rs. 5 a kg. Because of the substantial drop in the price and increase in prices of inputs and seeds and workers' wages tomato farmers have incurred heavy loss. Hosur is one of the prime agricultural belts...

After a significant jump in retail price of potato in the last two weeks due to disruption of supplies on account of heavy rain in northern India, prices are all set to fall because of huge stocks with traders in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, the two biggest potato producing states and expected arrival of the new crop from Punjab next month. Traders in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, who were...

The mountainous state-owned food stocks lying in the open and rotting in the rain are in stark conflict with a failing public distribution system , hunger, malnutrition and high food prices. The poor management of food stocks provoked the Supreme Court to transgress into executive domain when, on August 12, the court made certain directions like limiting procurement to covered warehousing capacity and distributing the rotting foodgrains free of cost...

As the common man continues to reel under the spiraling rise in prices of essential commodities especially key food items and vegetables the forever-rising food inflation is posing a serious challenge to policy makers. Though top government officials, including the Finance Minister and the Chairman of the Planning Commission have repeatedly assured that the food prices will soon stop rising, in reality it has gone the other way.   The rising spree...