-Livemint.com * Farm distress, stagnant incomes have eroded demand, shows Nielsen data * Consumption in rural areas grew at 5% in terms of value in the Sep quarter, while in urban India, the growth was 8% Rural household consumption slumped to a seven-year low in the September quarter, in a sign that the prolonged agrarian distress and near-stagnant rural incomes have eroded demand for consumer goods, market researcher Nielsen said. Consumption of packaged consumer...

-Livemint.com * The slowdown was more pronounced in northern India * Rural India contributes 36% to overall FMCG spends New Delhi: Consumption in rural India fell to a seven-year low in the September quarter, growing at a slower pace than that witnessed in urban areas, in a sign that prolonged agrarian distress, uneven rainfall spread, and stagnant rural incomes have hit sales of branded packaged goods, market researcher Nielsen said in its quarterly...

-The New Indian Express What changed the terms over the last few years from when India was the toast for global business and Bangladesh was an also ran? NEW DELHI: India has not only lost its tag as the fastest growing economy, it is even lagging behind its former 'poor cousin’ Bangladesh, which grew by 8.1 per cent last financial year as against India’s 6.8 per cent. Similarly, while India’s growth forecast...

-The Telegraph While the corporate tax cuts are a long-term positive, this does not dismiss the case for near-term consumption support The government relented on fiscal discipline to steeply reduce corporate taxes on September 20; the lowest is now 17 per cent for new manufacturing units. The stock market soared, seeing earnings grow after successive downgrades for nearly nine years — about the same time as the investment shortfall that lower taxes...

The Hindu Business Line In an article on Monday, this writer pointed out how it is a challenging task to double farmers’ income, given the fall in output prices and the higher cost of farm inputs. In an interview, Ashok Dalwai, CEO, Doubling Farmers’ Income Committee, talks about the various measures the Centre is taking to ensure it is on the right track and reaches its target by 2022. According to...