The year 2022 was supposed to mark the recovery of the Indian economy from the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns of the preceding two years. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February pushed up prices of food, fuel and fertilizer worldwide. In India consumer price inflation, which had declined to under 5 percent in the September-November period of 2021, has steadily increased, staying above 6 percent throughout 2022.    What happened to rural incomes in 2022? An...

-Financial Express Higher sowing augurs well for bountiful wheat and oilseed production The resilience of India’s agricultural sector has been a positive factor in the India growth story. During the ongoing rabi season, the average area sown for wheat is up by 25%, to 25.5 million hectares as of December 9, from a year earlier. Area under oilseeds, too, is at record levels. All of this augurs well for bumper rabi crops...

-Hindustan Times The total cultivated area under wheat, the main winter staple currently in short supply, jumped 25% as on November 10, compared to the corresponding period of last year, latest official data showed, boosting hopes of a bumper 2022-23 crop. Acreages of most rabi or winter-sown crops stand higher than last year, the farm ministry’s data showed. However, a warmer-than-average winter so far remains a concern for farmers because wheat needs...

-The Hindu Business Line Acreage under oilseeds, paddy and other rabi crops gains Wheat acreage in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s largest producer of winter-grown cereal, has jumped 36 per cent to 75.91 lakh hectares (lh) as of Friday from 55.82 lh a year ago. This has, in turn, resulted in the country’s overall sowing of all crops registering a 15 per cent growth in the ongoing rabi season so far. As of December...

-The Hindu Business Line Players said they have begun witnessing good demand for winter products Apparel and footwear companies said they are closely monitoring inflationary trends with some even looking at rolling back price hikes on existing range or upcoming season offerings, especially at the mass-end. Players also said they have begun witnessing strong demand for Winter season-related products. This comes at a time when there has been some softening in raw material...