-Down to Earth Government’s policy decisions and ground reports are in conflict with official data on sowing, production and agriculture insurance The Centre’s claim of 94 million metric tonnes (MT) (2015-16) of wheat production, good sowing acreage and success of agriculture insurance scheme is not in sync with reality as government’s own data do not match agriculture ministry’s claims.   The data related to increased acreage, bumper production and success of agriculture...

-The Indian Express Farm incomes may not revive despite good monsoon. There are new challenges for policymakers. India’s per capita calorie demand has been falling for at least the last 30 years. Most people do a double-take when they hear that. One can’t debate the fact much: National Sample Surveys every five to seven years have documented this. What we can debate are the reasons behind this: In their 2009 paper Angus...

-Hindustan Times Three new lentil (dal) varieties belonging to a family of legumes known to be poisonous since Hippocrates’s time could be back on your plates. But should you eat them? India’s chronic shortage of pulses – the essential soupy item in everyday meals – has made a cheap source of protein for millions very expensive. So, the country is thinking of bringing back khesari dal (scientific name: lathyrus odoratus), which became...

-AFP Global online freedom declined for a fifth year as govts stepped up electronic surveillance and clamped down on dissidents using blogs or social media Washington: Global online freedom declined for the fifth straight year as governments around the world expand censorship and surveillance of the Internet, according to a group that tracks democracy and human rights. Nearly half of the 65 countries examined have seen online freedom weaken since June...

-Down to Earth Traders have already placed orders for importing 100,000 tonnes from Australia The unseasonal heavy rains and hailstorm of March and April this year, which left millions of farmers in north India in distress, may impact international wheat prices. Indian traders, especially from south India, have started importing wheat from Australia and other parts of world in the wake of poor yields in India and lower international price. These imports may push up...