-The Hindu State Budget takes aim at ‘junk food’ sold in branded outlets to promote healthy eating. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala announced a 14.5 per cent “fat tax” on pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and tacos sold through branded outlets on Friday, in sync with the World Health Organization’s advocacy of using fiscal tools to promote healthy eating. Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac might have upset some youth with his move, but doctors and several parents are...
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Fixing the pulses deficit
-The Hindu While the economy’s revival is still a work in progress, higher food prices, especially of pulses, are affecting nutritional intake across India. The government is counting on a good monsoon season to spur growth and cool down the prices of essential food items. Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said on Thursday that the government’s move to raise the minimum support price for pulses is expected to help push up...
More »Rise in food prices will stem demand, says FAO official -Vikas Vasudeva
-The Hindu The poor will find food unaffordable and will decrease consumption, says Shyam Khadka Though the demand for most food commodities in India is set to grow by 2025, it would at a slower rate as compared to 2005-15, according to UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). A plausible factor is the rising food commodity prices whereby a small section of the population will find food unaffordable and thus decrease consumption. FAO...
More »Feeling the pulses pinch -Ramesh Chand & Shambhavi Sharan
-The Hindu As cereal consumption comes down despite higher output, India needs to ramp up production of pulses to meet the nutritional requirements of the population. Since the onset of the Green Revolution in the late 1960s, India has been treading on a path towards self-sufficiency in food. The achievements have remained highly skewed towards wheat and rice on account of technological as well as policy support towards these two crops. With...
More »From Plate to Plough: Twenty-five years of tinkering -Ashok Gulati
-The Indian Express Agriculture needs a champion in the Union cabinet. July, this year, marks the silver jubilee of economic reforms. It is time to take stock of our major successes and failures. There is a saying that bad times are often good for policies and good times are bad for policies. It is well-known that the foreign exchange crisis, with reserves falling to as low as $1.5 billion, triggered fundamental changes...
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