Giving a rosy picture of things to come that should quell doubts about food security of the country, the agriculture ministry today said the country would have a record all-time production in wheat, rice, oilseeds, pulses, cotton, soya bean and even coarse cereals during 2007-08. The Third Advance Estimates of production of major crops grown in the country, released by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, suggested that food grain production in the current fiscal had touched a record 227.32 MT.

With global tensions over food supplies mounting, prices of world staples rice and corn surged on Tuesday amid strong demand and concerns over slow planting of the new US corn crop. Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank warned Asian countries against export controls, and the Inter-American Development Bank said the food-versus-fuel debate had changed the way it evaluates financing of biofuel projects that could siphon off staples like corn or soybeans.

The Asian Development Bank on Tuesday criticised rice export bans, saying governments should instead resort to fiscal measures to help the poor, as prices of the staple continued to climb. While Indonesia promised more support to its farmers to encourage them to sell their produce to the government, signs China may extend rice exports this year came as a relief for the market scrambling for cargoes after bans by India and Vietnam.

Standing paddy across 10,000 hectares have been destroyed by unseasonal rains. No labour was in supply to harvest the crop in time.
Mechanical harvesters couldn't be used since the CPI(M)'s union refused to give timely permission
It requires union consent for Kerala farmers to bring in labour from outside or use machines
Five farmer suicides in the last fortnight.

Despite acknowledging the fact that there is little evidence to link the price rise to futures trading, Avijit Sen panel has taken the safe route on the politically sensitive issue, and maintanied that freeze on futures trading of rice, wheat, urad and tur should continue.

Soaring prices are hitting rice, a staple food for more than half the earth's population, causing political unrest, supply bottlenecks, and sometimes draconian moves by governments to protect domestic stocks. Most of the 3 billion-plus people for whom rice is a diet basic are in Asia, but it is also important in areas of Africa and the Caribbean. Here are five facts about the cash-crop.

The Basmati Growers Association, protesting rumours of ban on rice export has urged the government to stay away from interfering in the rice trade. The Association's President, Chaudhry Hamid Malhi fears that at the time of sowing of paddy such a step could result in lesser production. He said that rice production in the country was double of domestic requirements. Malhi said that pressing of rice price would only damage the farmers as how they would meet the increasing cost of production. He claimed that seven million farming families were attached with rice growing besides businessmen.

At around 5 p.m. on April 2, local police and officers from the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation descended on a four-story warehouse in suburban Manila. They were acting on a tip-off about possible illicit activity. But the agents weren't searching for drugs or knockoff Rolexes. They were looking for rice.

Malaysia will spend $1.3bn to achieve food security and turn the Borneo state of Sarawak into a "rice bowl' for the nation, in response to surging agricultural prices and fears of shortages. The plan to stockpile food and increase domestic production of rice, fruits and vegetables would bring Malaysia closer to self-sufficiency, Abdullah Badawi, prime minister, said at the weekend.

The government of India has lifted the March 17 ban on the import of rice by Bhutan with immediate effect. "This special gesture is being considered only to Bhutan, in view of the cordial relations between the countries,' said agriculture ministry officials. The ban is still on for other countries in the region. The March 17 ban had halted the import of popular rice brands, including BN20, Basmati and boiled rice. Bhutan imported about 50,000 metric tonnes of rice, that cost about Nu 420 million in 2005, up from 40,000 metric tonnes worth Nu 318 million in 2004.