-The Hindu Business Line   The general tendency among Indian policy makers currently is to blame international price movements for the rise in prices of essential food items in India. The extent to which this claim is valid is assessed by examining the specific case of wheat. It is no secret that Indian food prices are increasingly affected by international prices. Ever since 2002, when all quantitative restrictions on Indian imports of agricultural...

-The Economic Times Successful implementation of the Food Security Bill will leave more savings in the hands of rural and urban below poverty line (BPL) households, enabling them to spend on health, education and nutritious food, a study said on Monday. The implementation of the Food Security Bill could also generate additional savings of around Rs 4,400 this year for every beneficiary household in some states, the report said. The savings would arise...

-The United Nations A sharp surge in the price of dairy products pushed the overall costs of food one percentage point higher in March, the United Nations reported today, while world wheat production remained on track to reach its second highest level ever, barring adverse weather. Releasing its latest monthly Food Price Index (FPI), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said the dairy component of the index, which carries a 17...

-The Economic Times The government is reviewing the norms for keeping buffer stocks of wheat and rice required at a particular time of the year to feed the public distribution system and welfare schemes. The demand for wheat and rice distributed through welfare schemes is expected to rise with the implementation of the food security law. "The government is looking at the issue and we are discussing it with different departments," KV Thomas,...

-Outlook India has long been the sleeping giant of global agriculture. But its misguided policies while boosting short-term output, yet may transform India into a food importer After decades on the sidelines of international agricultural trade, India was poised last year to become a major food supplier, overtaking traditional exporters of food grain and meat. This could prove to be flash in the pan. The sudden rise and fall of India...