-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Prices of globally traded food declined for the third consecutive quarter since their historical peak in August, 2012, a World Bank report has said but cautioned that uncertain weather conditions and domestic policy decisions such as extension food subsidy programmes in India and other countries need a close watch. Prices of all the three main food categories declined between February and June, 2013. Prices of grains...
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Dal Will Tell You What the Government Cares About-Bhavdeep Kang
-Grist Media The proposed Food Security Bill will likely raise the demand for dal across India. While farmers and consumers are against it, the government keeps favouring the agri-industry and importing more and more cheap versions to offset rising inflation. But why won't India produce its own dal anymore? Nowhere are Canada's agricultural production plans tracked more closely than in India's Ministry of Food & Consumer Affairs. As it struggles to meet...
More »Five questions govt needs to answer on food security -Vivek Kaul
-First Post Sonia Gandhi wants the chief ministers of fourteen states in which the Congress party is in power to role out the food security scheme in letter and spirit, and in quick time. Some media reports suggest that the scheme will be rolled out on August 20, which also happens to be the birth anniversary of Sonia's late husband Rajiv Gandhi. While there seems to be a great hurry to launch...
More »Rains, incomes & food: Good monsoon this year is bad news for India -Himangshu Watts
-The Economic Times The monsoon made a dream start this year. Bountiful rainfall in June has prepared the ground for bumper harvest and lower food inflation. But don't celebrate. Look beyond the immediate future and good monsoon this year may not really be good news. It has merely delayed an agricultural crisis, which our complacent policymakers perhaps need to jolt them into action. With food demand rising in step with the growing...
More »How to reduce our rotting mountains of grain
-The Economic Times India's GDP growth has almost halved from 9.2% in 2010-11 to 5% in 2012-12. Major problems include a high current account deficit, high fiscal deficit, and lack of bank credit for small and medium enterprises. All three problems can be mitigated substantially by one single measure - reducing excess food stocks. So say Ashok Gulati and Surabhi Jain, chairman and joint director respectively of the Commission for Agricultural...
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