Mother Dairy’s retail model helps farmers but is under pressure from chains Call it the Safal model. For close to 25 years, a large chunk of households in the National Capital Region have had access to fresh fruits and vegetables at affordable prices—at rates much lower than what the local vegetable and fruits market or the handcart vendor would charge. This was made possible by standing the concept of buying on...

-The Times of India   An attempt to drag chief minister Mayawati to the Lokayukta court for allegedly granting undue favours to liquor baron Ponty Chadha fell flat on Thursday when UP's Lokayukta, Justice NK Mehrotra, declined to entertain the complaint on the grounds that the law does not authorize him to investigate the CM. The complaint against Mayawati was filed by a journalist. Mehrotra also said since Mayawati does not hold the...

-The Hindu Kisan Sabha wants Prime Minister to meet agriculturists The All India Kisan Sabha has demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh convene a meeting of farmers' organisations, farm scientists and economists to evolve measures to accord top priority to agriculture sector in the XII Five Year Plan. The agenda finalised at the meeting should form part of the discussions of the National Development Council so that the Centre and States could finalise...

The Finance Ministry has launched a concessional loan scheme for farmers to prevent distress sale of agricultural produce. Farmers who park their produce at warehouses will be able to avail short-term post harvest loan at 7% as against the prevailing rate of 11%-12%. Farmers making timely payment of the loans will further enjoy 3% interest subvention, bringing the real interest rate to 4%, according to the finance ministry directive. This will benefit...

-PTI The agriculture sector performed exceedingly well in 2011, with record grain production of over 240 million tonnes giving enough leeway for the government to lift a ban on exports of wheat and non-basmati rice and introduce the food security bill in Parliament. Farmers’ long-standing demand for crop loans at a 4% rate of interest was met during the year, although with a rider that the facility would be available to...