-Inclusion.in There is good news. And there’s bad news. The good news first. There’s been a bumper wheat crop and the granaries are overflowing. And the bad news? Where do we begin? A lot of that grain will rot. Millions will still remain hungry. Heavily in debt and distressed, farmers are committing suicide. Food prices are soaring. There’s more… Farmers don’t have money. Their land is too small and isn’t yielding much. Fertilisers and...

-Reuters A shortfall in monsoon rains has widened to nearly 50 percent of average in the past week, making a revival next week crucial for farmers to sow summer-planted crops such as rice, corn, cane, cotton and soybean. The annual rains are crucial for farm output and economic growth as about 55 percent of the South Asian nation's arable land is rain-fed. Farm sector accounts for about 15 percent of a nearly $2-trillion...

-The Statesman The state government is planning to engage self-help groups and co-operatives to run ration shops, state food and supply minister Jyotipriya Mullick said today at Writers’ Buildings.   He said a large number of ration dealers are involved in corruption and the state government will gradually abolish individual dealership for the smooth functioning of the ration system.   The state government is preparing a draft regarding this matter and will send...

While any loss in production following the dry spell will further hit the growth story, it will also push up food inflation. considerably. Once again the rain gods are playing truant. With 31 per cent shortfall in June, and with an expectation of only 70 per cent of the predicted 96 per cent rainfall for the July-August months, crucial for farming operations, kharif sowings have already been hit.   In June alone,...

-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...