-The Indian Express There is a worrying dearth of Indian economists working on agriculture today. In his classic Money: Whence It Came, Where It Went, John Kenneth Galbraith observed how the economics profession had a well-defined order of precedence. At the top were the economic theorists and specialists in banking and finance. At the bottom of the hierarchy were agricultural economists. George F. Warren from Cornell University was even worse — a...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government proposes to end exemptions on stock limits of pulses for exporters, food processors and large retailers with multiple outlets, which is being seen as a desperate attempt to deal with the spiraling prices. Sources said it was discussed at a meeting chaired by the cabinet secretary on Friday in the presence of officials of other departments. The cabinet secretariat has asked the consumer affairs...

-The Hindu Cheap imported bags are sold as Indian to government agencies for a higher procurement price. The Union Textiles Ministry has unearthed a major racket in large-scale import of cheap jute bags from Nepal and Bangladesh by Indian manufacturers, many of whom were supplying these to government agencies after putting their own seals. The Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory Use in Packing Commodities) Act, 1987, mandates that jute bags supplied to government agencies...

-Down to Earth Reasons behind the trend include high inventory levels, lower oil prices and renewed strength of the US dollar The Food Outlook report released on Thursday states that agricultural commodities are going through a period of lower prices and less volatility. After dramatic price rise from 2007 till early 2011, cereal and vegetable oil prices are now steady as well as on the decline, the biannual publication of the Food...

-The Times of India A recent report by a data consultancy owned by the Financial Times of London created a stir by estimating that India is now the most favorite destination for foreign direct investment, beating China and the USA. The fine print indicates that they are talking about "estimated capital expenditures" in greenfield, that is, new ventures. By this estimate, India attracted $31 billion compared to China's $28 billion in...