FARMING DISTRESS
Lockdown, cyclones and maize farming

Repeated natural disasters, closed mandis and a forced halt to transportation of produce have brought maize farmes in Nabarangpur and other districts to the brink of distress.

#Livelihoods #Agriculture #ODISHA
AGRARIAN DISTRESS - II
From mandis to markets : Will this round be any better?

The second attempt of the NDA government to create a market for farmers' produce may not fare much better than the first one, for the same reason - it fails to address the asymmetry of power between the farmers and buyers.

#Agriculture
AGRARIAN DISTRESS
The missing ‘market’ for agriculture

The first of a three part series on the crisis facing farmers today by Kannan Kasturi.

#Agriculture #Farmer Suicides
WTO IMPACT
The long arms of trade
WTO IMPACT : The long arms of trade

As the countdown for the tenth Ministerial Conference of the WTO to be held in Nairobi, Kenya through 15-18 December commences, Shalini Bhutani emphasises the need for a cautious deliberation on how trade rules affect key sectors and all stakeholders.

#Economy
GLOBAL TRADE
Will The NYT bat against Washington apples in India?

A recent editorial in The New York Times rightly recognises the flaws of a growth model driven by lower trade barriers. But Devinder Sharma wonders if the American daily will take a stand and extend its arguments to champion the cause of all nations, including India.

#Devinder Sharma #Trade #Economy #Ground Reality
RURAL INDUSTRY
Areca nut opens up new horizons for Assamese youth

Eco-friendly disposable plates and bowls made from sheaths of the abundant areca nut plant in rural Assam hold great promise for a lucrative industry with global reach. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports on the enterprise.

#Horticulture #Livelihoods #Economy #ASSAM
EASING FARM WOES
FDI: Neither necessary, nor sufficient
Though FDI in retail is being projected as a cure-all for the ills in the agriculture and food sector, Devinder Sharma cites examples from the world over to argue why we should not be pinning our hopes on it.
#Devinder Sharma #OP-ED #Ground Reality
TRADE OR HUNGER
US-EU spanner in the works of India's food security programme
India's food security bill is on top of the negotiating agenda for the forthcoming WTO Conference at Bali. Devinder Sharma explains why the likely compromise in the face of posturing from developed countries could have serious ramifications for food security and self-sufficiency.
#Devinder Sharma #Food Security #OP-ED #Ground Reality
AGRI-BUSINESS
New designs on foreign lands
Cross-border investments to acquire or lease thousands of hectares of lands are taking place, presumably to take advantage of cheaper input costs in some countries. Darryl D'Monte reports.
#Energy #Agriculture
FOOD PRICE INFLATION
Watching prices rise, helplessly
FOOD PRICE INFLATION : Watching prices rise, helplessly
The current situation of impotence that the Government finds itself in should prompt some soul searching about the reliance on market mechanisms to take care of India's food security, writes Kannan Kasturi.
#Agriculture Policy #Agriculture
AGRICULTURE POLICY
Farmers sour on sugar cane
AGRICULTURE POLICY : Farmers sour on sugar cane
The handling of sugar production, sale and external trade by the government shows a complete absence of strategic planning on an issue that critically affects the aam aadmi. Kannan Kasturi reports.
#Agriculture Policy #Agriculture
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
ASEAN FTA - a hasty, unbalanced deal
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT : ASEAN FTA - a hasty, unbalanced deal
Since Kerala and ASEAN countries both produce several similar items, competition from the latter is a cause of worry in the former. But the Centre has over-ridden the State's objections to the free trade agreement, writes Bhaskar Goswami.
#Agriculture #KERALA
GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS
Patterns from the past
GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS : Patterns from the past
The current crisis has some striking similarities with the fallout in India of the Great Depression of 1929-1933. Indian farmers were pushed deep into debt, and the overall economy suffered, recalls Kannan Kasturi.
#Agriculture
TRADE IN AGRICULTURE
Outsourcing food production
TRADE IN AGRICULTURE : Outsourcing food production
As food prices rise around the world, the political economy of food is being rewritten, with countries and companies moving to acquire large tracts of farmland around the world to secure their interests, notes Devinder Sharma.
#Devinder Sharma #Food Security #OP-ED #Ground Reality
OPINION: US FARM BILL 2007
Protection at home, preaching abroad
OPINION: US FARM BILL 2007 : Protection at home, preaching abroad

In clear disregard for the ongoing multilateral negotiations, the United States is attempting to protect its already heavily fortified agriculture further. The House of Representatives passed the US Farm Bill 2007 in July, proposing 286 billion dollars of support for American farmers over the next five years. Devinder Sharma on the implications.

#Devinder Sharma #OP-ED #Ground Reality