It has to be but a means to development, not an end in itself Is India doing marvellously well, or is it failing terribly? Depending on whom you speak to, you could pick up either of those answers with some frequency. One story, very popular among a minority but a large enough group—of Indians who are doing very well (and among the media that cater largely to them)—runs something like...
More »SEARCH RESULT
rice procurement at 9.04 million tonnes in kharif 2011-12
-PTI rice procurement stood at 9.04 million tonnes in the current kharif marketing season (October-September) so far. According to the official data, 90,46,356 tonnes of rice has been procured by various government agencies by November 4, 2011. Punjab has procured 69,56,290 tonnes, while Haryana and Tamil Nadu have procured 18,09,194 tonnes and 1,76,486 tonnes, respectively in the 2011-12 kharif season so far. Food Corporation of India (FCI), government's nodal procurement agency, along with other...
More »Food security channels by Indira Rajaraman
Poverty lines have been in the news again. This round started when a Planning Commission affidavit to the Supreme Court placing the poverty line at Rs 26 per capita per day (rural), Rs 32 (urban), raised a furore over the use of these to set a cap on the percentage of the population covered by the food security Bill. Since then, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. The latest...
More »High food price, a crisis on our plate by Brinda Jagirdar
To control inflation and ensure long-term economic growth, India needs to harness the creativity of the large number of its farmers and entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas. The latest WPI inflation data show primary articles inflation in double digit, driven mainly by food inflation which remains stubbornly high at over 9 per cent. The high food prices are the result of structural factors with shortages getting aggravated as demand continues to outstrip...
More »Global food prices drop to 11-month low in October, UN agency reports
-The United Nations Food prices dropped to an 11-month low in October, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today, while adding that they are still higher than last year and very volatile. FAO’s Food Price Index averaged 216 points last month, down 4 per cent from September, the agency said in a news release. The index is a measure of basic food prices at the global level. “The drop was...
More »