-The Hindu The measures included a ₹8 reduction in central excise duty per litre of petrol and a ₹6 cut in the duty on diesel. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled a slew of measures to rein in runaway inflation on Saturday evening, including duty cuts on petroleum products, a ₹200 subsidy on LPG cylinders for the poor and a rejig of import duties on plastic and steel products. A reduction in central excise...

-The Hindu Business Line Pesticide residues in India’s agri exports calls for a multi-pronged policy response As reported recently by this newspaper, India’s cumin exports have suffered a setback in recent months, with China claiming that pesticide residues exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs) spelt out by it about six months back. Chinese authorities have said that consignments must be accompanied by a pesticide residue report. India has been through all this...

-PTI/ NDTV.com Punjab farmers sat on a protest near the Chandigarh-Mohali border on Tuesday after being stopped from heading to the state capital to press the government for a bonus on wheat crop and allow paddy sowing from June 10. Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday called the agitation by state farmers as unwarranted and undesirable but said he is ready for talks. He also asked farmer unions to join the...

-Newsclick.in Agri expert Devinder Sharma says today, as in the past, commodity trading, massive speculation and unfair terms of trade are behind rising food prices. As India battles food price inflation, Devinder Sharma, a well-known trade and agriculture expert, explains why Indian policymakers should boost farm incomes to revive the economy. “If farmers, comprising 50% of the country’s population, were to receive a higher income through a guaranteed MSP, it would create...

-The New Indian Express But Interestingly the procurement in both states is over. CHANDIGARH: The Centre has allowed relaxation in procurement norms for shrivelled wheat grains up to 18 per cent against the earlier specification of 6 per cent with any value cut for the central pool from both Punjab and Haryana. This, due to the abnormally high temperatures. A letter written on Friday by Vishwajeet Haldar, Deputy Commissioner (Storage and Research Division) in...