Major foodgrains producing states have been the worst hit by rising prices, thanks to the Centre’s decision to pay more to farmers for their produce. Although inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), has been in double digits for nearly six months, there are several states where CPI in the rural region has been around 20%. A look at state-wise consumer price index numbers shows that pre-dominantly agri-based...

In a bid to protect food grains from spoiling due to inadequate storage facilities, Punjab and Sind Bank has come up with an initiative to extend credit for the construction of rural godowns in Punjab. The Punjab government is fully supporting this initiative and they have also got the green signal from the government of India. 'The bank will provide finance for construction of rural godowns of any storage capacity as per...

It is estimated that food grain worth Rs 60,000 crore have been left to rot. Who is responsible? This figure is highly exaggerated. According to a study by the agriculture ministry, only 0.004 percent of stored food grain are rotten. There were 11,708 tonnes of damaged and non-issuable food grain in Food Corporation of India (FCI) depots. However, the whole lot hasn’t become spoilt. This quantity has become non-issuable to...

Nearly 1200-1500 farmers from across Punjab, under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal), on Tuesday began their indefinite protest on the Mohali-Chandigarh border after they were denied entry to Chandigarh. They sat on the road leading from Sector 43-44 in Chandigarh towards Phase VIII in Mohali But a large contingent of police, from both Chandigarh and Mohali, had since early morning closed the road even for regular traffic. The...

Complexity and unsolved problems are at the very heart of the sustainability challenge, and at the very heart of M.S. Swaminathan's thinking and essays. In 1798, Thomas Robert Malthus offered the piercing insight that geometric population growth would inevitably outstrip food production, leaving society destitute and hungry. Since that time, our optimism of beating the “Malthusian curse” has waxed and waned. Few people in modern history have done more to help...