-The Economic Times   India's frequent ban on export of foodgrains and other farm commodities may soon become a thing of past as the commerce department is working on a policy to allow traders meet their exports obligations even in times of domestic shortages through imports.  The move will help India restore some global credibility as it has often faced flak for its banning spree.  "Once we are ready with the proposal, it will...

-The Economic Times Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister KV Thomas is worried about the climbing food inflation. But international demand-supply situation and rising crude prices make it tough to rein it in, says the minister in an interview with ET. Excerpts: There's a fear of below normal monsoon this year. But we have opened up our Farm Exports including key commodities like sugar, wheat and rice. We have ample stocks of foodgrain...

-FAO The world's forests have a major role to play in the transition to a new, greener economy, a theme being discussed at the Rio+20 Conference.  But to spark that shift, governments must enact programs and policies aimed at both unlocking the potential of forests and ensuring that they are sustainably managed, FAO said today. In a new report, The State of the World's Forests 2012 (SOFO 2012), the UN Food and...

RANWAN, India — In this north Indian village, workers recently dismantled stacks of burned and mildewed rice while flies swarmed nearby over spoiled wheat. Local residents said the rice crop had been sitting along the side of a highway for several years and was now being sent to a distillery to be turned into liquor. Just 180 miles to the south, in a slum on the outskirts of New Delhi, Leela...

-The Telegraph The Centre has renewed efforts to forge a consensus on allowing foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail by writing to all chief ministers, seeking to drive home the urgency against the backdrop of grim economic data. “Letters have been written to all chief ministers to build consensus to open up the multi-brand retail sector to FDI,” a commerce ministry official said. The statement came a day after the country posted its...