-The Business Standard Balancing duty to the poor while mitigating 'policy externalities' arising out of the food bill is India's latest challenge The government has fought all odds to get the food security bill - an entitlement programme that covers 67% of India's 1.2 billion large population under a subsidised grain regime, passed in the Parliament. But the battle now shifts to the global stage with India having to convince negotiators, particularly...

-The Hindustan Times   Chandigarh: Punjab expects profitable basmati crop this kharif season. The price of Indian basmati already has touched $136 (`8,500) a quintal in the international market, lifting the rate in the state as well. In just 15 days into the harvest season, premium basmati is being lifted for `3,500 a quintal. Last year, the price was about `2,200. Basmati exporters have, so far, bought about 1-lakh tonnes of the product in...

-The Business Standard The food security Act's provision for millets to every household is a magic bullet to attack malnutrition The food security Act has sought to address a nutritional imbalance in the public distribution system (PDS). The Act, by providing for a kg of millet per person at Rs 1/kg, would be a big step towards filling a wide gap in nutrition caused by the popularisation of cereals at the cost of...

-Al Jazeera   The reforms promoted by Prime Minister Singh do not go far enough to help food production and the hungry. The debate on the Food Security Act is based on myths on both sides. The government is propagating the myth that it is the largest anti-poverty and anti-hunger programme ever introduced anywhere in the world. The programme is being heralded as Sonia Gandhi's dream project, and billed as a miracle solution...

-The Economic Times KOLKATA: Soon Bihar will become Punjab and second green revolution will start from these areas, said Dr Ashok Gulati, chairman, Commission for Agriculture Cost & Price at the 3rd Crop Summit held in Bihar. Dr Gulati raised the issue of unavailability of proper support value to farmers. He further told that Bihar doesn't have any issue in production but procurement is the major issue. Its rice milling capacity is...