-The Indian Express The idea of a Minimum Support Price for crops came first from a visiting US soil scientist and fertiliser expert The institution of ‘mandis’ is as old as markets where wholesale trading in primary produce has been taking place since time immemorial. APMCs or Agricultural Produce Market Committees are of more recent vintage and the creation of Sir Chhotu Ram. In 1939, the legendary farmer leader, as Development Minister in...
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Denied Crop Loans, Maharashtra Farmers Go Back To Moneylenders -Parth MN
-IndiaSpend.com Mumbai: He delayed it as long as he could but when he realised that he had no other option, Pandurang Shinde, 33, swallowed his pride and asked his relatives for a loan in June. “It is not the best feeling,” he said. “But I was running out of time. I borrowed Rs 50,000--I needed that money for the cropping season starting in June.” Crop loans are critical for the agrarian cycle...
More »Farmers are paying more, even under schemes meant for their benefit -Ajay Vir Jakhar
-The Indian Express Each of the poverty alleviation programmes seems to have a recurring theme — being funded by the poor themselves. The rodomontade about heralding a new epoch of prosperity six years ago is gradually evaporating. It appears the PM is in the dark about the delivery of his government’s policies, just as the Congress leadership seems clueless about issues on the ground. Four specific pain points unmask the gap between...
More »Cruel legacy of Green Revolution? Covid-19 underscores 'risky, fragile' food system -Moin Qazi
-Counterview.net The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the risks of an unhealthy diet and the extreme fragility of food systems. The economic reconstruction that will follow the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to provide better nutrition and health to all. The pandemic should spur us to redefine how we feed ourselves, and agricultural research can play a vital role in making our food systems more sustainable and resilient. Family-owned farms still produce some...
More »The myth of India’s import dependence -Rathin Roy
-Business Standard/ NIPFP In the wake of the growing military tension on the India-China border, there have been calls for boycott of Chinese products. These have little impact on strategic reality. Equally, the plea that India cannot afford to do without Chinese imports is not a truism. If bilateral tensions escalate, then there may be a scenario in which India and China cease to trade. How would the Indian economy be hit...
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