-Down to Earth Farmers are in distress owing to low farm prices, poor logistics for transport and government-assured purchases The concept of ‘the more, the merrier’ doesn’t apply to farm produce and farmers’ state as much as the government thinks. Increasing production can’t be directly translated into better financial situation of farmers. According to the agriculture ministry latest estimates, in 2017-18, the total horticulture production of the country was 307.2 million tonnes, which...

-The Hindu It is now clear that the Indian economy is moving along a lower growth path At the end of May the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released much-awaited estimates of national income for the final quarter of the 2017-18 financial year. The timing coincided with the completion of four years in office of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. In a propaganda blitz, surging through the Net, the government embraced the...

-The Indian Express While they were given compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job, families say the root causes of farmers' problems are yet to be addressed and that they were yet to get justice. Mandsaur (M.P.): A year after six farmers were killed in Mandsaur during an agitation for better prices, their families are still angry and most plan to attend Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s rally on Wednesday. While...

-The Hindu Business Line Middlemen can hike prices but producers lose margins Ahmedabad/ New Delhi: With the sharp increase in fuel prices punching holes in agricultural incomes, a section of farmers are reviewing the mechanisation options. Diesel prices are up one-fourth over corresponding time last year. "The cost including transportation and pump-sets operation works out to about 25 per cent of the cost of production in various crops. Fuel costs are going up...

-The Indian Express The country had recorded GDP growth of 7.1 per cent in the previous financial year (2016-17). Growth is projected to rebound to 7.5 per cent this year. Boosted by an uptick in the manufacturing and construction sectors, and a good rabi harvest, India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) surged to a seven-quarter high of 7.7 per cent in January-March, the last quarter of the 2017-18 financial year. The rise...