-Livemint.com Lessons learnt from the Right to Food case can be applied for other social issues that end up at the Supreme Court’s doorstep every day New Delhi: In 2001, 47 tribals and Dalits were starved to death in south-eastern Rajasthan as the state reeled from its third consecutive year of drought. The tragedy occurred despite India’s warehouses were brimming with an excess of around 40 million tonnes of foodgrains that year. Weeks...

-Down to Earth Latest data suggests a decline in the nutritional quality of food. What is stripping our food of nutrients? Can authorities cope with the challenge? If you thought that your healthy food choices are going to keep you fit and disease-free, think again. The data released by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, on January 18 suggests that the foods we eat today are less nutritious than what...

-Business Standard Horticulture production to exceed food grains output for fifth year in a row The Centre’s first advance estimates for horticulture production for 2016-17 crop year that will end in June showed onion output might fall 5.8 per cent during the year to 19.7 million tonnes, while potato and tomatoes could rise marginally. Onion production in 2016-17 could fall to 19.71 million tonnes as against 20.93 million tonnes last year. The output is...

-Livemint.com Repeated price shocks take the sheen off horticulture crops grown by small and marginal farmers New Delhi: In the past few years, horticulture crops emerged as a favourite for small growers across the country. 2016-17 marks the fifth straight year when production of fruits and vegetables is estimated to surpass that of foodgrains. This signals a fundamental shift in India’s farm economy towards a growing share of horticulture crops, which now...

-Livemint.com The agriculture ministry estimates show that production of key crops like rice, wheat and pulses will be at record levels during the year New Delhi: Buoyed by a normal monsoon in 2016 after consecutive years of drought, India’s foodgrain harvest is likely to break past records, show second advance estimates released by the agriculture ministry on Wednesday. Total foodgrain production is estimated at an all-time high of 272 million tonnes in 2016-17,...