Record high food prices are putting added pressure on the United Nations agency that helps feed nearly 100 million of the world’s poorest people, with officials warning of a potential “perfect storm” combination of soaring costs, weather emergencies and political instability. “We are on red alert and we are continually assessing needs and reassessing plans and stand ready to assist,” UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Josette Sheeran told the...
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Adopt ICT in rural sectors for inclusive growth: Narayana Murthy
Infosys Technologies' Founder-Chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy on Thursday called for information and communication technology (ICT) being used in agriculture and rural sectors for more inclusive growth. "We have seen a lot of growth in ICT and it will grow at a higher rate in the future. The sector is constantly growing in India. But there is a need for adoption of ICT in agriculture and rural sectors. ICT adoption in these...
More »Food subsidy to be Rs 1,10,600 cr if NAC desire is met by Sruthijith KK
The total food subsidy bill will balloon to 1,10,600 crore if entitlements recommended by the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council are incorporated into the Food Security Bill , the Ministry of Food And Public Distribution has estimated. The subsidy bill in the initial phase will be 93,000 crore. The ministry's estimates are significantly higher than the ones made by both NAC and the Rangarajan panel that studied the NAC recommendations. The ministry,...
More »Getting food security right by T Nanda Kumar
The first issue in food security is India’s Hunger index. The Global Hunger Index released by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) places India 67th in rankings with a score of 24.1, far below China and below Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal. According to FAO, about 25% of world’s undernourished live in India. The proposed Food Security Act is seen as the key instrument of intervention to remedy this situation. The...
More »In agriculture’s pyrrhic victory, a call to caution by RN Bhaskar
There’s both good news and bad news on the food front. The good news is that wheat, maize and pulses production during the current year will be the highest that India has seen. Wheat production was expected to be high, thanks to the twin advantages of a high procurement price —- higher than international prices —- and favourable weather conditions. But pulses production too has zoomed, because of the soaring prices in the...
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