By Anil Pandey India is being blamed for current food shortage in south asia. How far this is true? A couple of weeks ago Ameri can President George Bush made similar statement blaming the prosperity of the rising Indian middle class for the current food crisis. This is far from truth as the consumption of food grains has been growing three times faster in the US as compared to India, according to Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

The worst of the bird flu threat is over but the fight to eliminate the disease from poultry is weak

The recently concluded world food summit observed that urban populations are likely to be more exposed to rising food prices than their rural counterparts: they are more likely to consume staple foods derived from tradable commodities and are less likely to produce a significant share of their own food or produce for sale. Anticipating this, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has been advocating urban and peri-urban agriculture

By C. Anand Reddy The year 2008-09 is set to be a watershed year with regard to production of wheat. While India has recorded the highest ever production and procurement levels, a report by the London-based International Grains Council said that global wheat production is expected to touch a record 645 million tonnes, a rise of 41 million tonnes from the year before. Hearteningly enough, consumption is projected to rise to 630 million tonnes in the same year.

Some good ideas, but too little cash, were among the fruits of a global gathering

The world will face high food prices "in the years to come", the UN food summit said yesterday, but failed to agree how the crisis could be eased. The summit, hosted by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation, was called to tackle food price rises that have triggered riots in 30 countries, but became embroiled in a bitter dispute over biofuels and export restrictions. Agricultural commodities rose on the news as traders saw no prospect of change in biofuels policies or in the use of trade restrictions by key exporters. Bad weather has also contributed to the recent price rises.

Rich countries came under attack yesterday at the United Nations food summit for their biofuel subsidies and production targets, declining spending on development aid for agriculture and large subsidies to European and US farmers. Jacques Diouf, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, told heads of state and governments gathered in Rome that "nobody" understood why cereals had been diverted from human consumption "mostly to satisfy a thirst for fuel vehicles".