Bumper wheat crop poses new headaches Paradox Of Plenty     * Wheat projection of 84.27 million tonnes hit mandi prices     * Farmers await price revival; govt buys much below last year     * Wait for eGoM on exports as global demand, prices are higher     * Govt storage capacity already tight; fear of damage prevails     * Food security scheme launch to raise stock requirements *** It’s been a nerve-racking week for Brijesh Singh. The 34-year-old...

Wheat procurement in Punjab has reached 56.22 lakh metric tonnes (MT) so far in the ongoing crop year, but this is still 39 per cent lower than the volume lifted in the corresponding period of previous year. Government procurement agencies and private millers have procured 56.22 lakh MT of wheat so far, whereas 91.60 lakh MT of crop was procured last year. Wheat harvesting got delayed in Punjab because of extended cold...

In early April, the government was sitting on a pile of 44 mt of wheat and rice, more than double of what is required for maintaining the buffer stock Every three or four years, India witnesses a boom-and-bust cycle in agriculture. In the trough, prices hot up and imports of foodgrains become necessary. At the crest, all that is forgotten, there is talk of exports and life moves on. Any thought...

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has pulled up the state government for its failure to ensure the supply of quality ration to the people. In its annual report, the CAG said there was no testing laboratory or trained manpower for conducting quality inspection of the foodgrains supplied through the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the state. “The PDS (Control) Order, 2001, envisages that the representatives of the Consumer Affairs...

In an effort to wean away tribals from the Maoists, the Environment Ministry is pushing for a minimum support price for minor forest produce like bamboo and tendu patta. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is taking up the matter with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee . A minimum support price (MSP) for minor forest produce (MFP) would help increase the earnings of the tribal population. At present, the more valuable items of minor forest...