Reeling under the spiraling prices of essential commodities, locals and activists from regional factions staged agitations in several parts of the country to protest the perceived inability of the central government in tackling inflation. The simmering row over inflation boiled over in Agra as activists of regional Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha (SCS) vented their ire through a unique demonstration. Shouting slogans, the student activists traversed the streets of Agra on bullock and horse...

What’s Going Wrong?     * Market intelligence remains a weak link; farm policies rarely reflect correct scenario     * Extensive damage to crop in Maharashtra not factored in promoting onion, tomato exports     * Middlemen make capital while farmers realise 10-15% margin, not enough to recoup losses     * Government market intervention capacity limited to foodgrains and pulses **** India’s worst-kept secret was finally revealed when the government threw up its hands in despair in the...

The first consignment of about 200 tonnes of onion imported by the government from Pakistan landed at the Mundra port in Gujarat today and is likely to reach Delhi on Tuesday. The government had asked state-owned trading agencies PEC and State Trading Corporation (STC) to import onion to boost domestic supply and rein in the soaring prices of the kitchen staple. Since Pakistan had banned trade of onion to India through land...

India's reported willingness to relax its ceiling on cotton exports to accommodate the Pakistani demand for the commodity if Pakistan will permit the overland export of Onions is a welcome development. The floods in Pakistan affected some portion of its cotton crop, and the country is now short of the commodity for its domestic textile and yarn industry, the mainstay of its fragile economy; heavy and unseasonal rains have caused...

Availability of commodities to be augmented The Centre on Wednesday stepped up its efforts to rein in food inflation, which touched 18.32 per cent for the week ended December 25 last with onion price soaring to Rs. 60 a kg in retail. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who later held a closed-door meeting with Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Mr. Pawar...