-Frontline A recession-hit world is only just waking up to the prospect of the coming food crisis resulting in a period of political turmoil with unexpected consequences. For the third time in five years, the world is braced for another food crisis. Bad weather conditions are leading to projections of major production shortfalls in some of the world’s leading food suppliers. Substantially reduced access and sharp price increases are, therefore, expected to...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Rice exports may rise 15% as government scraps export floor price-Sutanuka Ghosal
-The Economic Times India's Rice exports are likely to jump as much as 15% this year after the government scrapped the minimum export price (MEP) of $700 per tonne. "India's annual basmati exports will surpass last year's figure in the current fiscal," said Sumeet Saluja, managing director, Whitefields Overseas, which markets basmati under the brand name India Crown. Total rice shipments, including basmati and non-basmati, were 7.3 million tonne in 2011-12. Of this,...
More »Waiting for rain-PK Joshi
-The Indian Express As drought pushes up food prices, India must invest in new irrigation methods The speculation on the delay of the monsoons and below-normal rainfall this year is not new to India. But the drought in the maize belt of the United States — that is, in the Midwest — was unexpected. The impact of the drought will be felt on wheat and soya bean production. This will eventually lead...
More »KV Thomas, Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution interviewed by Nitin Sethi
Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution KV Thomas tells Nitin Sethi that it makes better sense to distribute stocked foodgrain to people of the country than subsidise exports. Possible spread of drought that the government is looking at... At the moment, monsoon rainfall is 23% below the long term average. But we have to wait another 15 days to know the full situation. We had discussion in the presence...
More »Government clears 2 million tonne of wheat exports to ease storage crunch
-NDTV The government has approved export of two million tonnes of wheat from central pool stock in order to clear storage space for new crops. The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in Delhi today. "CCEA has approved export of two million tonnes of wheat from government stock with floor price of $ 228 (about Rs. 12,400) per tonne," Food Minister KV Thomas told PTI after the meeting. The...
More »