-The Tribune US spearheading move to force developing countries to open up to imports The US filed a fresh complaint against India at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) last week. In its submission, the US sought withdrawal of India’s import restrictions on genetically modified (GM) foods, including rice and apples. It said the demand for a non-GM certificate was disrupting American Agricultural Exports. This comes at a time when for no apparent...

-The Hindu Business Line Experts say current manual methods are error-prone, moot scientific process The advance crop estimate made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare usually differs between the first and subsequent three ones before it comes out with the final estimate. However, the difference has seldom caused problems in the agricultural markets or led to complaints of not reflecting what the trade has felt is the ground reality. But some...

Is India going to face inflation in cereal prices during the rest of the current financial year? Experts differ on this. An analysis by Nomura Global Economics and CEIC finds that a below normal monsoon does not always translate into high retail inflation in food. Similarly, an above normal southwest monsoon does not always bring down the rate of food inflation. However, some agricultural experts (please click here, here and...

-The Hindu Business Line Growers’ body seeks ₹25, says they are unable to recover production costs Maharashtra farmers, led by the State Onion Growers’ Association, have threatened to stop bringing onion to the agricultural produce marketing committee (APMC) yards from August 16, if they don’t get an average price of ₹25 per kg for their produce. Maharashtra State Onion Growers’ Association President Bharat Dighole said in a statement on Monday: “For the past...

-The Hindu Exim policy for agricultural produce should be long-term and in farmers’ interests, BKS says Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh’s (RSS) farmers’ group, criticised the Centre’s export and import policies. The BKS urged the government to frame long-term export and import policies that are in the interests of farmers. The BKS, which held a meeting of its all India managing committee in Raipur last week, said it’s being seen...