Market leaders, Dutch follows tringent quality control

The potato has a 12,000-year-old history but an even brighter future as a crop that is set to replace rice as a staple in the Asian rice-consuming countries. It requires less amount of water compared to other basic food products, without compromising the nutrition value. Potato, therefore, is increasingly being promoted, in the genetically modified organism-free European Union (EU), as the foremost solution for meeting the increased food demand for an estimated 6 billion world population by 2030.

Chhattisgarh will bear an additional subsidy of Rs. 2,300 crore

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh does not favour proposed cash transfer for food and will not implement the scheme in his State.

“Food security means taking food to people’s doorstep,” he told journalists here on Saturday. The Chief Minister said that while cash transfer may be okay for fertilisers and other welfare schemes, it was not required as a substitute for grains. “If you give Rs. 600 in the hands of a poor person without a proper banking system, banks being far-flung and fluctuations in food prices, the idea will not work.”

‘Governments must protect interest of producer, consumer’

The controversy regarding India’s permission to allow foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail and growing “land grab” in Africa by multinational corporations are being closely watched globally by agriculture experts, researchers and donors. At a workshop here on ‘Supporting Policy Research to Inform Agricultural Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia’ — which a few journalists from both regions were invited to attend — experts pointed out the phenomenon of “outsiders” displacing farmers to do commercial agriculture for exports.

“Any need, any time” commission agents claim the Government cannot do without them, Food Corporation of India or not

Even before anyone from the visiting Press team could open the floor for conversation, a battery of arhtiyas (commission agents) at the main mandi here started off: “ Hamara challenge hai . Sarkar direct procurement karke dekh lein . Ho hi nahi sakta . [We challenge the Government to try and make direct procurement. It is not possible].”They were referring to the changes the Government expects once multinationals like WalMart, Carrefour and others enter the Indian retail market and go for direct sourcing from the farms.

The Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) met on Thursday and asked Karnataka to release a further 4.81 tmcft of river water to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu within the next 15 days. It, however, did not decide the quantum of shortfall in releases during the season, which as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s interim award, Karnataka must make up by the end of the season.

Tamil Nadu maintained that there was a shortfall of 52 tmcft between June and September and wanted Karnataka to make up for that. Karnataka, however, contested this.

Rangarajan Panel recommendations on decontrol of sugar industry discussed

Union Food & Consumer Affairs Minister K.V. Thomas met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday and sought a review of the open-ended foodgrains procurement policy. He also discussed the Rangarajan Panel recommendations on decontrol of sugar industry, the National Food Security Bill, which has been referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee, and the proposed panel within the Consumer Affairs Department on FDI in multi-brand retail.

West Bengal Minister raises Teesta water sharing issue

Formation of River Basin Organisations (RBOs) between basin neighbouring countries is at the heart of an international conference here on Hydro-Diplomacy: A Tool for Sharing Waters Across Waters. “Good governance is required for establishment of strategies on sustainable management of international river basins,” said Thailand Minister for Natural Resources & Environment Preecha Rengsomboonsuk, opening the conference.

The finalised draft of the Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (LARR) Bill provides for rehabilitation and resettlement of land owners in all private purchases, but the threshold-level on which this will apply has been left to State governments.

The restriction on amount of irrigated multi-crop land and net sown area available for acquisition has also been left to the discretion of the States. Earlier, the quantity of irrigated multi-cropped land that could be acquired was capped at five per cent.

Cauvery panel says directive is in line with Tribunal’s award

The Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC), at a meeting on Thursday, ordered Karnataka to release a further 8.85 tmcft of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from October 16 till 31. According to sources present at the meeting, the CMC said this quantum could come from reservoirs or the immediate catchments below the reservoirs and above Biligundlu (Karnataka’s border with Tamil Nadu).

International Food Policy Research Institute also bemoans lack of up-to-date information

India has lagged in improving its Global Hunger Index (GHI) score despite strong economic growth, according to the 2012 Global Hunger Index report released for the seventh year by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Welthungerhilfe, and Concern Worldwide. The 2012 index -- The Challenge of Hunger: Ensuring Sustainable Food Security under Land, Water, and Energy Stresses — points out that Bangladesh, India and Timor-Leste have the highest prevalence of underweight children under five, more than 40 per cent in each of the three countries.