-The Hindu Business Line   As Indian consumption rises, the cereal available for exports may shrink For millennia, rice has been an integral part of the cuisine across Asian nations. China (140 million tonnes) and India (105 million tonnes) are two of the world's largest producers of rice followed at a distance by Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Pakistan. Major exporters include Thailand, India, Vietnam and Pakistan while major importers include...

-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 Hindu     The government believes that the expectation of a poor monsoon and consequent fall in harvests has encouraged traders and middlemen to hoard food staples such as onion and potato. For a government that rode to power on the back of widespread dissatisfaction among people over runaway prices, especially of food commodities, the rising cost of onion and potato are posing a major challenge now. Though there is no reason to...

-RisingKashmir.com   Horticulture encroaching upon paddy land  Srinagar: Agriculture land has shrunk by 2 lakh hectares since 1996, economic survey reveals. The survey reports that 10 lakh hectares were under agriculture production during 1995-96 which has reduced to 8 lakh hectares in 2013. Experts said that reduction in the agriculture land has decreased its contribution to states economy also. On the other hand, the horticulture has also developed into a major sector in Jammu and Kashmir's...

-The Financial Express Unless we get it right on the markets front, including opening up of exports, farmers cannot get their full due One of the key objectives of agricultural price policy in India is to ensure that agriculture remains a remunerative occupation so that farmers are incentivised to adopt modern technologies that help raise productivity and overall production of various crops in the country broadly in line with the emerging demand...