-The United Nations Food prices dropped to an 11-month low in October, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today, while adding that they are still higher than last year and very volatile. FAO’s Food Price Index averaged 216 points last month, down 4 per cent from September, the agency said in a news release. The index is a measure of basic food prices at the global level. “The drop was...
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EGoM on food deferred due to differences among ruling allies
-PTI A meeting of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on food, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and scheduled for today, has been postponed due to differences among ruling allies, especially the NCP, over the sugar export policy. The meeting was deferred as the NCP leader and Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, wanted a clear policy on sugar export for 2011-12 to be decided this month, but Food Minister KV Thomas was...
More »With labourers turning to MGNREGS, farm sector may turn to machines by Gargi Parsai
Pawar announces mega plans for mechanisation in 12th Plan Faced with farm labour shortage following the introduction of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday announced mega plans for mechanisation in the 12th Five-Year Plan. “With the successful implementation of the MGNREGS and other anti-poverty programmes, there is now pressure on the availability of farm labour,” Mr. Pawar told senior journalists at the Economic...
More »Despite good monsoon, farmers blame NREGA for low profits
-Reuters Cotton farmer Ravindra Krishna Patil in Maharashtra should be feeling flush after strong monsoon rains and a good crop, but high costs have cast a pall over his preparations for the festive season. Instead of splashing out on gold jewellery, appliances or maybe even a car during the biggest shopping season of the year, 28-year-old Patil must count his rupees after costs of everything from fuel to labour soared while cotton...
More »Pulses, oilseed to be costlier by B Chandrashekhar
Production to drop drastically this kharif season Pulses and oilseeds are likely to be dearer, particularly to the middle class and poor as their production is likely to go down drastically in the ongoing kharif season in the State. Scanty rainfall in the beginning of southwest monsoon season is the reason for lower coverage of various crops. As per the first advance production estimates prepared by the Bureau of Economics and Statistics...
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