Food Policy

Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding large scale felling of toddy yielding palm trees in Bihar, 05/06/2025

Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Are missing palm trees causing more lighting deaths in Bihar appearing in ‘The Times of India’ dated 29.05.2025". The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Are missing palm trees causing …

India bans export of non basmati rice

the Union government increased the minimum support price of wheat, paddy, sugarcane, mustard, rapeseed and other agricultural commodities on October 9. The announcement was made after the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the prime minister, accepted the recommendations on the minimum support price (msp) by the Commission of …

Indian farmers get short shrift as country imports wheat

In February this year, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar announced that the country could export wheat in the near future. "If the current weather persists and the country's wheat production exceeds 72.5 million tonnes, I will allow exports,' he said. But the minister seems to have done a volte-face on …

Bread prices spiral in Central Asia

As wheat prices soar across Central Asia, officials in Kazakhstan, the region's key grain supplier, have resorted to controlling exports to stem rising domestic costs. Experts fear the move will complicate matters for its neighbouring nations, pushing wheat prices further up (see

Its High Time We Get A National Food Security Commission

If India wants total food security, farming must be remunerative. Developing channels for farmers to sell wherever they get the best price is key ANJANI SINHA RECENTLY, THE government allocated Rs 48.82 billion for the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) to raise the production of rice, wheat and pulses during …

Reduce pasta prices, say Italians

Pasta-loving Italians observed a one-day

South Asia

Second deluge: Less than a month after monsoon rains battered the country, a second wave of flooding that began on September 10, is further affecting parts of Bangladesh. According to government officials, the overall death toll from flooding since July had risen to 840, forcing over half a million from …

Andhra salt makers want recognition as farmers

"Why shouldn't salt-making be classed as agriculture?' asks R Potharaju. "Both require land, water and sunshine, and are subject to vagaries of nature,' he reasons. Potharaju is convenor of the Prakasam District Salt Farmers Forum. The forum believes that an official categorisation as agriculture would take care of the many …

Food coupons for BPL families

in a bid to stop pilferage in the Targeted Public Distribution System (tpds), the Union government plans to introduce food coupons for people below poverty line (bpl). Under the scheme initiated by the Union ministry of food and civil supplies, the coupons worth a fixed amount of cash, instead of …

Ban on futures trading to go

the ban on futures trading in essential commodities is likely to be lifted. The expert committee under Abhijit Sen backs the idea. The committee was set up in March 2007 to assess the impact of futures trading

PDS fails in feeding India`s poor

India's Targeted Public Distribution System (tpds) gives subsidised essential commodities to economically weaker households. Till 1997, the system had supplied subsidised commodities to all Households under tpds are classed as Below Poverty Line (bpl) and Above Poverty Line (apl) groups based on income. bpl is further divided into bpl and …

Rising popularity of artificial vanilla puts Kerala farmers in distress

Vanilla is said to be the world's most popular flavour. Its sweet, mildly fruity, spicy and alluring aroma is considered to be both sensual and calming. Aroma analysts call vanilla the smell of love... ARNAB PRATIM DUTTA travels to the farms of Kerala to find out what is rotten in …

What`s on show

Is our ice cream natural or synthetic? The 2005 Export-Import Bank of India (exim bank) study on vanilla and its potential in India says that labelling laws for ice cream can create a viable domestic market for the essence in the country. Vanilla flavoured ice cream accounts for over 40 …

Food aid comes a cropper

the central government's food assistance schemes haven't worked. The 61st round of the National Sample Survey Organisation (nsso) report on Public Distribution System and Other Sources of Household Consumption, 2004-05, shows that only 28 per cent of the rural poor have benefited from any such scheme. For urban areas, the …

In short

eu dumping rules: On June 12, European Union (EU) laid down rules to check illegal dumping of hazardous materials in developing countries. An update of 1993 EU regulations, the new rules require EU governments to carry out inspections and make spot checks of ships in their territory. It also gives …

India must focus on rainfed farming

There was a time when it was said that the Indian budget was a gamble on the monsoons. That is not the case any more, with industrial production soaring and agriculture on the margins. But what is clear is that without addressing the problems of the majority of farmers in …

Five million year old whale fossil found

Chilean scientists recently identified fossils of whales believed to have died around five million years ago. The fossils were discovered a month back by some teenagers while on a field trip near Los Maitenes village, about 160 km from the capital Santiago. They found jawbones, backbones and ribs of four …

Moscow introduces GM free label

Moscow recently announced that all genetically modified (gm) food in the city will now have a city-wide label. Ecologists welcomed the move while producers called it a complex and expensive exercise. After an inspection, producers will have the right to carry Moscow's gm-free label for a year. Greenpeace too welcomed …

Pricing food in poor India

The government is being severely criticised for the wheat it is now planning to import. Rightly so. India's season for wheat ended a few months ago. When the crop was being harvested the government dithered on the price it would pay farmers; it floated tenders for import of wheat; it …

  1. 1
  2. ...
  3. 180
  4. 181
  5. 182
  6. 183
  7. 184
  8. ...
  9. 187

IEP child categories loading...