-Grain.org "We take care of the cow and the cow takes care of us," says Marayal, a farmer in Thalavady, Tamil Nadu. Her two cows produce 6 to 10 litres of milk a day, which she sells for 30-40 cents per litre. Across India, there are millions of backyard dairy farmers like Marayal. Each owning just one or two cows, these farmers supply millions more families and hundreds of thousands of informal...

-Economic and Political Weekly   This article analyses the implications of the National Food Security Act for India's commitments under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture in the context of widespread concern that they might be mutually incompatible. An analysis of support to rice and wheat for the period 1995-2012 suggests that it is possible to leverage existing provisions in the Agreement to accommodate the current levels of operation. While India should negotiate...

-The Financial Express India's grain output has risen substantially in recent years. India's grain output has risen substantially in recent years, taking the country to the league of the world's largest producers of rice, wheat and horticultural crops thanks to the use of diverse seed varieties, among other things. And productivity at Indian farms could increase further in coming years thanks to a centrally managed gene bank that would help multiply seed...

-The Indian Express Environment Minister Veerappa Moily and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar are learnt to have agreed that a joint affidavit should be filed in the Supreme Court, asking that field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops be allowed, albeit with "stringent conditions". The line taken by Moily, who met Pawar on Thursday to discuss the government's position on GM field trials, is at variance with the majority opinion of the court-appointed...

-Vikalp The recently concluded Bali Ministerial marks an important milestone in the WTO negotiations. The National Food Security Act, 2013 in India has brought the issue of food security and hunger within developing countries to the forefront of the negotiations in the WTO. In this context, the G-33 proposal addressing the issue of non-recognition of food security concerns of developing countries within the global trade rules reflected a meaningful unity within...