-Livemint.com * Frequent policy changes create uncertainty, says report * India’s agri tariff rose from 36.4% in FY15 to 36.5% in FY21, while non-agricultural tariff rose from 9.5% to 11.1% India’s average tariff increased to 14.3% in FY21 from 13% in FY15 with the country’s policymakers frequently using trade policy measures to encourage domestic production and curb inflation, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said in its latest Trade Policy Review for Asia’s third-largest...

-Livemint.com Three-fourths of India’s population depend on cereals from states that over-exploit groundwater, finds a study. This raises concerns about the country’s food security The farmer protests near Delhi have brought renewed attention to the agricultural practices of northern India, groundwater use in particular. A new study finds that states where groundwater reserves are at critical levels, such as Punjab, form the major source of cereals for around 76% of India’s population....

-The Hindu It is not just domestic firms that are potential beneficiaries of the new farm laws; foreign agribusinesses are a danger too The farmers’ movement for the repeal of the three farm laws which affect them closely but have been rammed through without consulting them, has now entered its second month. It is of historic significance. It is not just about minimum support prices but also about the survival of the...

-NetworkIdeas.org The complete absence of any meaningful fiscal response from the Indian government in the face of one of the biggest economic crises ever faced, cries out for explanation. One argument has been that the central government is concerned about its external vulnerability: a large increase in public spending could generate higher imports, thereby worsening the trade deficit at a time when volatile capital flows have already made the balance of...

-Livemint.com * India’s economic activity still appears weak compared to peers, shows the November edition of Mint’s Emerging Markets Tracker India slipped to the bottom of the heap among key emerging markets in November despite reporting better-than-expected GDP figures for the September quarter, the latest update to Mint’s emerging markets tracker shows. The ranking, the worst since June, indicates that India is finding it harder to regain lost ground compared to emerging market...