Availability of commodities to be augmented The Centre on Wednesday stepped up its efforts to rein in food inflation, which touched 18.32 per cent for the week ended December 25 last with onion price soaring to Rs. 60 a kg in retail. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who later held a closed-door meeting with Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Mr. Pawar...
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Price rise: Chidambaram questions Pawar on sugar exports by Surojit Gupta
Differences within the ruling government alliance over food management came to the fore on Tuesday with home minister P Chidambaram questioning agriculture minister Sharad Pawar's pitch for resuming export of sugar. A meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss measures to calm soaring food prices saw sugar become a key focus area with Pawar plumping for freeing its export, citing an expected bumper crop this year. As soon...
More »High agri commodity prices a concern: FAO by Ajay Modi
Managing high agriculture commodity prices is becoming a concern for policy makers in India as well as globally. While Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has already warned of a ‘food price shock’, concerns are raised that this situation could worsen as various exporting countries could consider restrictions which will further create supply bottlenecks. As global food prices hit a record high, India just trails behind with food inflation touching a 23-week...
More »Why food is costlier by TN Ninan
Twenty years ago, a Maruti 800, with an air-conditioner fitted, cost a little less than Rs 2 lakh. Today it costs about Rs 2.5 lakh. Twenty years ago, a branded 1.5 tonne window air-conditioner cost about Rs 30,000; today, you can get a split AC unit for that price. Then, Videocon was offering large refrigerators for more than Rs 30,000; you can get better units today for much less. TV...
More »Food subsidy bill may rise to Rs 81,000 cr
Government’s food subsidy bill is expected to swell to around Rs 81,000 crore in the current financial year, up from the Budget estimate of around Rs 68,000 crore for 2010-11 because of higher cost of procurement of wheat and rice and increased allocations to below poverty line and above poverty line families in the current financial year, official sources said. The 19% estimated increase in food subsidy also includes those part...
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