-The Tribune The Government on Wednesday announced three "major agriculture reforms" for farmers, including an Ordinance to promote “barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade outside APMC market” and amendment to the Essential Commodities Act., removing commodities like cereals, pulses oilseeds edible oils onion and potatoes from list of essential commodities. Briefing about the three reforms after the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the decisions, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar called...

-The Hindu Cabinet also extended the repayment date for standard short-term loans upto ₹3 lakh for agriculture and allied activities, till August 31, 2020. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Monday approved an increase in the minimum support prices (MSPs) for all mandated kharif crops, including paddy, pulses and cotton, for the 2020-21 marketing season. The Union Cabinet also extended the repayment date for standard short-term loans upto ₹3 lakh for...

-Press release by Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (Hyderabad), Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and Public Health Foundation of India, dated 20th May 2020 The Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA, Hyderabad), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI, New Delhi), and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Boston) recently completed a telephone survey of 1,429 agricultural households across 12 states and 200 districts in India. The study was conducted between...

-The Indian Express Third tranche of COVID-19 economic package: Not only can farmers sell to anyone and anywhere, but traders and processors, too, will be able to freely buy, stock and move any quantity of agri-produce within the country. Barely seven months after imposing limits on the maximum quantity of onion any wholesaler or retailer could keep, the Narendra Modi government on Friday announced what may turn out to be a defining...

-The Hindu Farmers’ cooperation, technological upgrading and favourable public policies can help India deal with the pandemic The current national lockdown to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the problems of food, nutrition and livelihood security confronting a large number of rural people, in particular, migrants to cities. While some measures have been announced, such as provision of additional rice or wheat, some pulses and oil free of cost, as well as...