-Livemint.com Farm economist and NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand on the urgency of agricultural market reforms to meet the target of doubling farm incomes by 2022 New Delhi: Apart from staging protests in Delhi, farmers must make themselves heard in state capitals as well to resolve issues outside the central government’s control, farm economist and NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand said. In an interview, he spoke of the urgency of agricultural market...

-The Financial Express By setting the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022, the prime minister has clearly signalled a transition in agri-food policy from an excessive emphasis on foodgrain production towards improving welfare of the farming community. Given the continued excessive employment pressure, proliferation of small landholdings and growing agrarian crisis, this move is indeed an important change in the policy landscape. Doubling farmers’ income, however, requires identification of high-income...

-DNA India is expected to bear the brunt of $160 billion trade-distorting farm subsidies provided by developed nations like the US At a time when angry farmer protests seeking an increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops is on an upswing, India faces an uphill task to protect its food procurement operations at the forthcoming Buenos Aires Ministerial of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) from December 10-13. At...

-The Hindu Business Line Members such as Canada, EU, US want stiffer safeguards for public stock holding India’s demand for a permanent solution on public stockholding subsidies at the World Trade Organization (WTO) is being challenged by several members, including Canada, the EU and the US, which are insisting on stiffer safeguards, restricted product coverage and a linkage with pruning of overall domestic support. “As the deadline for coming up with a permanent...

-The Hindu Business Line Price double in key wholesale markets; Consumer Affairs Ministry suggests floor price for Exports New Delhi/Mumbai: To check spiralling prices of onions and ease supplies, the Centre has decided to import 2,000 tonnes of onions through the State-owned MMTC while two other agencies, Nafed and SFAC, will source 12,000 tonnes locally, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has said. A floor price of $700 per tonne on...