Foodgrain Sales

After the collapse last year of a U.N.-backed Black Sea grain export initiative that involved Russia and had ensured safe passage of grain ships

Speaking on occasion, Union Minister for Cooperation and Home, Amit Shah thanked the Prime Minister for facilitating investments to strengthen PACS

The reservation norms in present proposal would further protect the interest of domestic production of raw jute and jute packaging material in India

Higher rice planting in India, the world's second biggest producer of the grain, could alleviate concerns about supplies of the staple

The ban on exports of wheat will continue as India has to ensure adequate supplies of the foodgrain for its domestic market and keep the inflation at check, Union minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He said that the procurement of wheat has started and the numbers for the first week of buying are "very" satisfactory. "I could believe that we will have a good harvest despite the unseasonal rains...We do believe that we will have to ensure adequate supplies for the Indian market and once the procurement period is over, we believe that it will be important that inflation is also contained in the country and therefore it is important that the wheat exports continue to remain banned," the commerce and industry and consumer affairs, food and public distribution minister told reporters here. He is here on a two-day visit to meet leaders and businesses in order to enhance economic ties between India and Italy. India, the world's second-largest wheat producer, banned wheat exports in Ma

Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra on Wednesday said the prices of wheat in wholesale and retail markets have come down by about Rs 5 per kg after the Centre's decision to sell 3 million tonnes of the grain in the open market, and asserted that more steps will be taken if required to ease rates. The government is closely monitoring the prices of wheat and atta (wheat flour) and, if needed, will take more steps, including offering more wheat under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS), to bring down the prices and provide relief to consumers, Chopra told reporters here. He said the government is not considering any proposal as of now to lift the ban on wheat exports, which was imposed in May last year after a sharp fall in its procurement. "From the time the OMSS was announced in January, wheat prices have come down. Wheat prices in wholesale markets are ruling less than Rs 2,500 per quintal," he said, and hoped that the prices would fall further in the coming days. The government of

Food distribution needs deeper reforms

A wartime agreement that unblocked grain shipments from Ukraine and helped temper rising global food prices will be extended by four months, the United Nations and other parties to the deal said on Thursday, preventing a price shock to some of the world's most vulnerable countries where many are struggling with hunger. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the 120-day extension a "key decision in the global fight against the food crisis". Struck during Russia's war in Ukraine, the initiative established a safe shipping corridor in the Black Sea and inspection procedures to address concerns that cargo vessels might carry weapons or launch attacks. The deal that Ukraine and Russia signed in separate agreements with the UN and Turkey on July 22 was due to expire on Saturday. Russia confirmed the extension but said it expected progress on removing obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilisers. Ukraine and Russia are key global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil

The Centre's comments are significant as the G7 countries have criticised India's ban on wheat exports

The Centre has set a target of 307.33 million tonne of foodgrains production for the current 2021-22 crop year ending June

Started by Kanpur's Shramik Bharti, these food centres work on a community model

Rising costs to ship crops globally are adding to concerns about food inflation that are already at decade-highs and hitting cost-sensitive consumers in import-dependent markets

India's foodgrain production is estimated to rise 2 per cent in 2020-21 crop year to an all-time high of 303.34 million tonnes

Rice production target has been fixed at 117.5 mn tonnes, while the wheat production target has been kept at 106.5 mn tonnes

All states have been asked to take foodgrains from the Centre in advance for distribution through the PDS

Maize acreage is expected to go up, but output may fall by 5.75 percent due to the massive armyworm infestation.

Experts believe the government is committed to buy wheat and rice from Punjab and Haryana, given the political forces there