The Indian Express – Online

After rice, India is set to turn a major exporter of wheat as well – thanks to surging international prices from Chinese stockpiling and ultra-low interest rate money increasingly finding its way into agri-commodity markets.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday upped its forecast of Indian wheat exports for 2020-21 (July-June) to 1.8 million tonnes (mt), as against its earlier estimate of one mt. That would be the highest ever in the last six years (see chart).

The trebling of shipments this year is mainly on the back of rising global prices. Wheat future contracts for March delivery at the Chicago Board of Trade exchange are currently at $244.35 per tonne, 18.3% higher ...

Times of India – Online

The National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development (NABARD), Bihar, has prepared a Potential Linked Plan (PLP) for 2021-22 to facilitate credit flow to agriculture sector in all 38 districts of the state, said its chief general manager (CGM) Sunil Kumar on Wednesday. He said the potential for credit flow has been assessed for each sector like crop, animal husbandry, dairy, poultry, fisheries, goat rearing, plantation and horticulture, farm mechanization, godowns and self-help group lending among others.

Sunil told the media that an aggregation of the projections will be presented in the state credit seminar scheduled on January 15.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has adversely impacted the economy. The only silver lining is the performance of ...

Businessworld – Online

India and China started their development story simultaneously in the 1950s. Today, both the countries are on different pages, with respect to economy and farm development. While all of us may not agree with the Chinese model of governance, there is a lot to learn from their agriculture sector for the Indian policy maker.

For overview of the farm sector in India with respect to other countries, OECD provides five sets of data on the issue of how the Indian government supports its farmers as compared to other countries

Foreign Policy – Online

There are a couple of reasons that India’s Supreme Court may have chosen to act to suspend the farm laws now.

Fears are growing that the largely peaceful protests could turn violent or lead to illness amid the Indian winter and the coronavirus pandemic. “We don’t want any injuries or blood on our hands,” Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde said during the hearings this week. Dozens of deaths have been reported during the protests, including at least five farmers who died by suicide and others who succumbed to health issues.

Jakarta Globe – Online

he recent agricultural reforms introduced by the Government of India through its Farm Bills are nothing short of historic and revolutionary. The three new ordinances have the ambitious intent of “doubling farmers’income” through unshackling of the agricultural marketing structure and integrating Indian agriculture as “one nation, one market’.

Agriculture is a priority sector for India, contributing approximately 17 percent of India’s GDP and being the largest source of its citizen’s livelihoods. Reform of the agriculture marketing system has been an ongoing process over the years; a vast evolution preceding the three new farming bills.

Indian agriculture prior to independence Before independence, India’s agricultural policy was largely driven by concerns of food security, so they prioritized keeping ...