-Down to Earth India faces a surplus of foodgrains. Is exporting a good option? With India's grain mountain set to implode, the government is desperate to push the exports of rice and wheat. However, a global glut and the resulting depression of prices are dimming the prospects of foodgrain exports. According to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the nodal agency for grain trade in the country, India is sitting on 34 million...

-The Hindu The Bali ministerial conference in December presents a crucial opportunity to bring about changes in WTO rules Ending hunger and poverty requires major national policy initiatives in developing countries. The United Nations Secretary-General has articulated a broad zero hunger vision, endorsed and embraced as a priority by national leaders in many developing countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Production of food by small cultivators in developing countries has a...

-Outlook Shimla: National Agriculture Bank And Rural Development has launched a Warehousing Scheme (NWS) to advance loans to Public and Private sector for creation of storage infrastructure with a corpus of Rs 5,000 crore during 2013-14. "A dedicated scheme for providing assistance for creation of storage infrastructure with a corpus of Rs 5,000 crore has been introduced, pursuant to announcement made by Union Finance minister in current year's budget and the scheme...

-The Business Standard Contrary to earlier claims, farm growth may be robust The projection by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) of robust agricultural growth of above five per cent and a consequential handsome rise in rural incomes comes as a silver lining to India's otherwise gloomy economic scene. The CACP's reckoning, based on a rigorous mathematical model, virtually discounts the agriculture ministry's kharif crop output estimates (called first advance...

-The Economic Times It is ironical that food inflation surged to around 18% in August when agriculture is the primary hope in the economy. The culprit was mainly vegetables and, within that, onions. Onions are once again in the news due to steep rise in retail prices by almost 25% in a fortnight. Safal outlets in Delhi have set the price at Rs 60 per kg whereas some other retailers are charging...