-The Hindustan Times Sangrur: With a drought-like situation looming large in the state following a below-average monsoon so far, farmers in the district are worried that they will not get a bumper paddy crop this year. Now, the farmers are running from pillar to post to protect their crops from the scorching heat to reduce its impact on the produce. A less rainfall has also increased the input cost...

-The Telegraph The Congress today slammed the Centre for linking food inflation to increased incomes and changing diets and asked if it intended to scrap its predecessor's welfare schemes that had raised poor families' purchasing power. Ironically, Congress ministers used to cite similar reasons for the rising prices. But spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the government of "insulting" the people and said it was a matter of satisfaction and pride that incomes were...

-The Financial Express Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Tuesday that western India is likely to be worst affected by a sub-normal Monsoon, with possible drought-like conditions in some areas. "Monsoon is delayed. Western India is expected to be worst affected and drought-like situation might prevail in some pockets," Singh told reporters after a BJP delegation from Maharashtra met him on the issue. According to the IMD's data of cumulative rainfall...

-The Telegraph The country's third driest June over a hundred years might have prompted the Union government to come up with agriculture contingency plans for around 500 districts but Bihar for one seems blessed in this field. In spite of 32 per cent deficient rainfall across the state in June, the overall sowing of paddy seedlings till July 1 stood at 2,57,660 hectares, substantially higher than the area of 2,31,000 hectares covered...

-The Hindu   A welter of problems may be in store for the country These are testing times for the Narendra Modi government in the farm and food sector: the south-west (June-September) monsoon is delayed, deficient and weak; kharif sowing, much of which is rain-fed, is lagging by over 17 per cent over last year; rising food prices are pushing up inflation and pulling down growth. Right now the prices of only perishable...