The new rabi grain pricing policy seems to have been influenced more by macro-concerns about food inflation management rather than any considerations relating to food production planning. The marginal increase in minimum support prices (MSPs) of most rabi crops, barring pulses, is understandable given the government’s focus on inflation reduction and the fact that this marginal increase comes on top of earlier hikes of a decent magnitude. Moreover, there are...
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New CPI to be based on state stats by Rishi Shah
The new consumer price indices set to debut in January will be compilations of indices for states that reflect the price trends prevailing in the country accurately, helping policy formulation and targeted intervention. Each state will have two consumer price indices, one for rural and another for urban areas. These CPI rural and urban will be added up to arrive at urban and rural retail indices at the national level. These...
More »Food will never become cheaper as expenses rise by Nidhi Nath Srinivas
Never mind wishful thinking by the government and RBI. Food will never be cheaper than what it is today. Not this year. Or in future. The reason is simple. Growing food in India has become extremely expensive. Crops are pricier even before they reach the market and face the pulls and tugs of rising local demand and exports. The farmer’s single biggest cost now is labour. Farm labour wages have doubled...
More »Food Security Sans PDS: Universalization Through Targeting? by Smita Gupta
The case of the Food Security Bill gets curiouser and curiouser. What started off as a fight between universalization and targeting has ended (or so it would seem) in a complete victory in the National Advisory Council, Government of India (NAC) for targeting through universalization (if such a thing was possible), with the honourable exception of Prof Jean Dreze, who has to be commended for his ‘note of disagreement’. On...
More »Maharashtra farmers demand higher price for cotton
Farmers from Vidarbha and Marathwada regions will hold Maharashtra's first 'Kapus Parishad' (Cotton Conclave) here Oct 26 where they will demand higher prices for cotton, an activist said here Sunday. Organised by NGO Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), the conference will seek the government's intervention in increasing the prices of raw cotton from the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs.3,000 per quintal to Rs.4,500 per quintal. 'Cotton is the biggest cash crop...
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