The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
China has banned the construction of new soyabean crushing plants, in a move designed to reduce overcapacity in the industry and check the growing market share of foreign companies in the food oil business. The announcement, by an official of the economic planning ministry in Beijing yesterday, follows the related …
on april 23, the Delhi High Court will hear a case that is being dubbed as a "conflict between commercial interests and public health'. There are two main players: the Central Information Commission (cic) and the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Corporation Company (mahyco). Fearing that its data on field trials of …
Enlarge view FAO predicts that foodgrain prices will rise for another 10 years. For most cereals supplies are much tighter than in recent years, while demand is rising for food as well as feed and industrial use. Stocks, which were already low at the start of the season, are likely …
Extreme cold, ice and snow in 20 provinces of southern China since January have damaged crops of rapeseed, vegetables and fruits, along with some 190,000 hectares (ha) of winter wheat. 150,000 ha of rice fields were destroyed by a cold spell in Vietnam. Intensification of seasonal rains in Ecuador caused …
Chances are you've heard of hybrids and biofuels, but what about oil-producing yeast and turbinelike buoys that transform ocean waves into electricity? Those are just a few of the alternative-energy sources that may power the future, according to Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund and coauthor, with Miriam …
Advice for those trying to solve the global food crisis: do not start from here. As governments across the developing world impose export bans on staple foods, further worsening the shortages on inter
The churn in weather in north and northwest India has tossed up the threat of hailstorm to standing rabi crop, especially wheat, which has entered the harvesting stage. As of now, hailstorm is the only meteorological event that could harm the prospects of the standing wheat crop. The extended winter …
Much like what happened last year, the FCI is unlikely to be able to procure the amount of wheat it needs to. This article is a sequel to the one published under a similar title a year ago (April 1, 2007). Unfortunately, the emerging scenario of a critical situation arising …
Governments across the developing world are scrambling to boost farm imports and restrict exports in an attempt to forestall rising food prices and social unrest. Saudi Arabia cut import taxes across a range of food products on Tuesday, slashing its wheat tariff from 25 per cent to zero and reducing …
The monitoring programme for pesticide residues in food undertaken by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF) through its Pesticide Control Service (PCS), at Backweston, Co. Kildare, is aimed at ensuring that consumers are not exposed to unacceptable pesticide residue levels. In addition, it is aimed at ensuring that …
This paper examines trend in fertiliser use at national and state level and estimates imbalances in use of plant nutrients in different regions. The paper estimates regional disparities in fertiliser use and in benefits of fertiliser subsidy from different angles. Trend in fertiliser subsidy is presented in nominal and real …
International cereal prices (in US dollar terms) have been increasing since 2003, but it is domestic prices that affect food consumption and production. This report analyzes, for seven large Asian countries, the extent to which domestic prices have increased since 2003 and presents several conclusions. First, the data show that …
The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) provides information on how agricultural knowledge, science and technology can be used to reduce hunger and poverty, improve rural livelihoods and human health, and facilitate equitable environmentally, socially and economically sustainable development. The full set of IAASTD reports …
Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, in his famous speech at Avadi near Chennai in 1955, spelt out the conditions for inclusive growth. He asked and I ask the same question
Lack of buying interest, inadequate storage spaced cited as reasons for the fall in prices. Post-harvest, potato prices have gone down sharply this year in the main growing areas, especially in West Bengal. The price of the
By curbing food exports, governments buy relief for consumers at the cost of lowering output Argentine farmers are among the world's most nimble and efficient. They need to be: few countries have been as badly governed as Argentina. Over the past 70 years it has often been the farmers and …
FOR some years now, the Budget speeches of the Finance Minister have been impressive exercises in the art of rhetoric, that is, of verbal persuasion without reference to reality. It has often been the case that the more P. Chidambaram talked about a particular issue in his speech, the less …
US farmers have rarely been so spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing which crops to plant. Corn, wheat, soyabean, oats, rice, barley, hay, canola and sunflower prices are all at or near record levels. Which crops farmers will plant this year should become clearer on Monday when the …
Rice production in the State is dwindling. Though there was a fluctuating trend between 2003-04 and 2005-06 in its production, the output of the item showed a sharp decline during 2006-07. Minister for Agriculture Pramila Rani Brahma stated this while replying to a question of Mission Ranjan Das (BJP) in …
