-DNA When it comes to farmers, the government has precious little to offer The monsoon season is over. With 14 per cent shortfall in the amount of rains, and with nearly 39 per cent of the cropped area in the country hit by a crippling drought, I was expecting the Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan to announce a series of monetary benefits and exemptions in credit repayments for farmers....
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Inflation falls to -4.95%, spurs deflation fears, rate cut hopes -TCA Sharad Raghavan
-The Hindu Overall, industry bodies are positive about the ongoing contraction in inflation, but there is some wariness regarding deflation. Wholesale Price Inflation contracted for the tenth consecutive month, coming in at -4.95 per cent in August compared to -4.05 per cent in July. This follows Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian’s comments cautioning that India’s economy could be nearing deflationary territory. The data also comes two weeks before the Reserve Bank of...
More »Missing pulse -Jitendra
-Down to Earth Despite being a world leader in pulses production, India has been forced to import due to crop loss and seed deficit. The sharp rise in prices is only a symptom Rani Devi, 47, is drying chickpea (chanaa daal) in Kuite Khera village of Uttar Pradesh. She intends to use them as seeds in the coming rabi season (October to December), as she is facing acute shortage of seeds....
More »Why skyrocketing onion prices pack a pungent punch -Gaurav Choudhury
-The Hindustan Times The skyrocketing prices of onions, a key ingredient used in making dishes ranging from curries to biryanis, reflects India’s inability to insulate staples from weather-induced supply disturbances. On Thursday onions traded at Rs 4,900 a quintal (or Rs 49 a kg) at Lasalgaon in Maharashtra, India’s largest wholesale market for the crop. Inadequate supplies have pushed up prices sharply over the last few weeks. Already, retail onion prices have...
More »Swaminathan MSP: Solution to Agrarian Crisis and Farmers’ Distress? -Ranjit Singh Ghuman
-Economic and Political Weekly Farmers' unions and political parties have been demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan minimum support price (cost plus 50%) to address agrarian crisis and farmers' distress. But they have not raised demands for the implementation of the recommendations of the National Commission on Farmers, which have the potential to provide lasting solutions. Ranjit Singh Ghuman (ghumanrs@yahoo.co.uk) is a Nehru SAIL Chair Professor, Centre for Research in Rural and...
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