To make the domestic coconut industry globally competitive, the Coconut Development Board has decided to impart technological training to farmers, processors, traders and exporters. To facilitate this, Union Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas will lay the foundation stone for a ‘farmers block' at the board's headquarters in Kochi on Septem ber 2, which is being observed as the World Coconut Day. The venue would serve as a centre for...

Even as the issue of price rise takes centrestage in Parliament, the government’s attempt to offload wheat in the open market has found few takers among Small traders. The reason: the price of wheat fixed by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for Small traders is higher than the prevailing wholesale prices at major centres across the country. In June, the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab...

A demand to reintroduce a universal Public Distribution System (PDS) in the country appears every now and then. Its proponents argue that universal access is necessary for ensuring food security, for better control on prices and for eliminating (at least partially) the evils of exclusion errors in the targeted PDS. The question is: what are the operational implications of access for all citizens to subsidised foodgrain? They are currently allocated as...

Farmers across the southwest belt of Haryana and northern Rajasthan have this year sown cotton on a large scale moving away from paddy, the traditional crop in this region. Due to the unavailability of canal water in certain areas in this region, farmers have also moved from sowing Bt cotton to desi (local) cotton which requires less water. The trend has largely been seen in the districts of Fatehabad, Bhiwani,...

Wheat to be sold to traders at Rs.12.50 a kg; decision on sugar deferred  The Centre will release five million tonnes of wheat from its pool in the open market to enhance availability and maintain a check on prices. The wheat, to be released in July, would be available directly from depots for traders and retail buyers at a reserved price of approximately Rs.12.54 a kg. Wheat is selling in Delhi...