With wheat production expected to touch a new high during the ongoing Rabi season, a demand for its export has gained ground in UP. The export, is seen as the only way to help ease the problem of plenty and also to ensure remunerative prices to farmers. Incidentally, India's overall wheat production is also estimated to go up substantially. This comes at a time, when there is a global slump with...

After the sanctioning of education loans, the public and private sector commercial bankers have shown almost no interest in sanctioning farm loans this year. The farmers in Madhya Pradesh continue to face financial strain and have stayed away from bankers. But the bankers consider last year’s debt waiver scheme being responsible for the low agri credit flow. While state-owned cooperative bankers moved ahead in sanctioning and disbursing priority sector advances, private...

Haryana government has made all arrangements for smooth procurement of wheat during the Rabi season-2011. The state government was committed to make the payments to farmers within 48-72 hours, said state minister for food and supplies minister HS Chattha here on Thursday. The minister said the state arranged cash credit limit of R7,373 crore for purchase of wheat from Reserve Bank of India. Chattha said that wheat procurement season had been notified...

The budget is more concerned about the consumer than the grower A LOOMING food crisis in the world and high food inflation rates at home made Pranab Mukherjee’s proposals to boost agriculture in his 2011 budget more keenly watched than usual. These are factors that clearly weighed with the finance minister who repeatedly said that his principal concern this year has been the continuing high food prices. The squeeze on the...

The Budget season is in full swing and allocations for various sectors being hotly debated upon both by policy makers and the public at large. What is important to remind ourselves, is that where this will lead this country of over one billion, facing challenges of balancing economic growth with social justice and equity. Food Security has moved from an issue of the poor and hungry and those who advocate their cause...