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Zia Haq

Zia Haq reports on public policy, economy and agriculture. Particularly interested in development economics and growth theories.

Articles by Zia Haq

Centre imposes stock limits on pulses as prices rise

The measures, which will be in force till September 30, 2024, come on the back of lower output of pulses, such as tur, due to a patchy monsoon last year and higher prices

 (Representative Photo)
Published on Jun 21, 2024 08:16 PM IST

Govt may sell wheat to cool prices, Shah reviews food stocks

Home minister Amit Shah-led panel reviews sufficient wheat inventories in state-owned granaries, considering sales to calm prices amid surplus availability.

Govt may sell wheat to cool prices, Shah reviews food stocks
Updated on Jun 21, 2024 08:46 AM IST

Centre clears big MSP boost for kharif crops

The revised MSPs, which act as benchmark prices at which government purchases farm produce, especially cereals, come just ahead of the monsoon sowing season

The government set the floor rate for common variety of rice, the summer staple, at <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>2,300 a quintal (100 kg), an increase of <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>117 and up 5% from the previous season’s MSP. (REUTERS)
Updated on Jun 20, 2024 01:16 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Govt raises MSPs for kharif season, focus on pulses, oilseeds

Farmers are currently preparing to plant a range of crops, such as rice, soybean, pulses, cotton and sugarcane, which depend on the June-September monsoon system

Farmers harvesting the wheat crop in Jaspal Bangar village in Ludhiana on Wednesday (HT FILE PHOTO/Gurpreet Singh)
Published on Jun 19, 2024 10:02 PM IST

PM Modi to address farmers on June 18, disburse PM-Kisan tranche: Agri minister

Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that nearly 20 million farmers from across the country will join in, physically and virtually, and invitations had been sent out to chief ministers of all states for the event

Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan addresses a press briefing in Delhi on Saturday. (PIB_India-X)
Published on Jun 15, 2024 06:23 PM IST

Pulses’ prices to ease from July due to higher imports: Official

India also is expecting ample imports of pulses from east African nations in the months of August, September and October that will help to plug a demand-supply gap, softening prices

Food inflation, driven by lentils and cereals, has been sticky in the world’s second biggest producer of wheat, rice and sugarcane, as extreme weather and a patchy monsoon shriveled crops last year. (Representational image)
Updated on Jun 15, 2024 09:36 AM IST

Edible oils, pulses in focus as agriculture minister Chouhan takes charge

Agriculture ministry led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan aims for self-sufficiency in pulses by 2027-28 and plans to boost edible-oil production to reduce imports.

Union Minister of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan holds a meeting regarding the 100-day action plan of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, at Krishi Bhavan, in New Delhi. (PTI)
Updated on Jun 13, 2024 08:10 AM IST

LS polls: Rural hardship hurts BJP

While BJP has dominated large swathes of India’s rural heartland in the last 10 years, discontent and anguish among agriculturists is common

Farmers protesting against new farm laws (ANI Photo)
Updated on Jun 04, 2024 10:52 PM IST

Ghaziabad’s heritage industrial testing house gives India’s drone manufacturing a leg-up

India's National Test House, a 105-year-old facility, is boosting the country's drone industry with affordable certification services, helping it grow rapidly.

Ghaziabad’s heritage industrial testing house gives India’s drone manufacturing a leg-up
Updated on Jun 03, 2024 05:42 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Surplus monsoon in rain-fed states to drive farm output

June-September monsoon is vita because nearly half of the country’s net-sown area lacks irrigation and millions depend on a farm-based livelihood

Surplus monsoon in rain-fed states to drive farm output
Updated on May 30, 2024 04:31 PM IST

Record rice stocks may prompt higher public distribution

India's rice stocks are at a record high, nearly four times the target, prompting government action to reduce inventory amid expectations of a strong crop.

The government is required to have 13.5 million tonnes of rice as buffer stock beginning July 1 (Bloomberg)
Updated on May 28, 2024 01:24 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Wheat purchases sufficient for food security needs but may miss target: Data

Govt procures enough wheat for food security, but may fall short of target due to farmer stockholding. Surplus stocks help stabilize prices in case of inflation.

Wheat purchases sufficient for food security needs but may miss target: Data
Updated on May 26, 2024 06:00 AM IST

Water reservoirs run alarmingly low amid hot weather: Data

Water storage in 150 reservoirs at a 5-year low due to hot weather and poor monsoon, worsening shortages in 16 states, impacting power generation.

The dire levels have worsened water shortages in 16 states. (AP)
Updated on May 20, 2024 12:24 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Plentiful rains could lift farm growth to 6% this year: Officials

The June-September rainy season is critical for Asia’s third-largest economy as nearly half of the country’s net-sown area heavily relies on the summer monsoon.

Agricultural labourers ploughing a paddy field with traditional farming instruments, in West Khasi Hills on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)
Updated on May 17, 2024 01:14 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Govt to invoke new regulation to combat fake reviews on e-com sites

Indian government to tackle fake e-commerce reviews with new standards as complaints rise. E-commerce market set to reach $299.01 billion by 2029.

The size of India’s e-commerce market is estimated at $112.93 billion in 2024. (HT File)
Updated on May 16, 2024 09:32 AM IST

Govt to invoke new regulation to combat fake reviews on e-commerce sites

Consumer affairs secretary Nidhi Khare said the presence of fake reviews jeopardises trust worthiness and credibility of online shopping platforms

India’s e-commerce market is estimated at $112.93 billion in 2024 (FILE IMAGE)
Updated on May 15, 2024 10:30 PM IST

Fertiliser imports fall on higher local output

India's 2023-24 fertilizer imports dropped by nearly 10% as local production increased, aiming for self-sufficiency in urea. Subsidy costs remain high due to elevated raw material prices.

Food security of the world’s most populous nation is closely linked to the availability of fertilisers. (Representational image)
Updated on May 15, 2024 07:08 AM IST

Retail inflation at 11-month low, but food prices surge

The Consumer Price Index has stayed within the RBI’s “tolerance range” of 4% (+/-2%) since September 2023

FILE PHOTO: Customers buy fruits and vegetables at an open air evening market in Ahmedabad (REUTERS)
Published on May 13, 2024 06:56 PM IST

Govt plans to build onion buffer as prices fluctuate

The Union government has started procuring onions from farmers at market rates to build an emergency buffer of 500,000 tonne for 2024-25 to boost supplies if prices spike

The developments comes after India lifts up the five-month-long ban on export of onions. (HT Archive)
Updated on May 12, 2024 06:28 AM IST

Hot summer drives up vegetable prices

Heatwaves and dry weather in several parts of the country have shriveled short-duration crops sown between winter and summer seasons, leading to steeper-than-expected surge in vegetable prices in April

Between March 1 and May 8, the country as a whole received 16% less than normal rainfall. (HT Archive)
Updated on May 09, 2024 07:26 AM IST

India lifts export ban on onion, imposes MEP

The country’s ban had driven up prices of the vegetable for global buyers, from the Middle East to Bangladesh.

India imposed a minimum export price (MEP) of $550 per tonne plus 40% tariff on outbound onion shipments. (AFP)
Updated on May 05, 2024 03:08 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Sharp fall in agri exports prompts govt to push perishables

India's agricultural exports fell 9% in 2023-24 due to bans on staples. To offset, officials plan to boost perishables and fruits exports, targeting new markets and sea routes.

The government has identified 20 such agricultural produce and products with high export potential in markets. (PTI)
Updated on May 04, 2024 04:29 PM IST

Gains in pulses output hit climate-crisis hurdle

The government has imposed caps on the quantity of two widely consumed varieties of pulses, a measure known as stock-holding limits invoked to control inflation

India’s output of pulses dipped to 23.4 million tonne in 2023-24 from 26.1 million tonne a year ago, the agriculture ministry estimated (REUTERS)
Published on May 03, 2024 12:38 AM IST

India unlikely to lift ban on export of food items

India is unlikely to lift its ban on food exports, including wheat, due to concerns of food inflation and prioritizing domestic consumption.

Despite estimates of ample wheat harvests, the country is battling high grain inflation for over a year. (HT Archive)
Updated on May 02, 2024 04:21 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Wheat procurement sufficient for food-security schemes: Govt

Sufficient procurement is critical this year to help India, also the world’s second biggest wheat consumer, replenish depleted stocks, which have hit a 16-year-low

Procurement refers to purchases of grains by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Centre’s main grain-handling agency, at federally determined floor prices (HT)
Updated on May 01, 2024 05:30 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Govt begins work on staving off climate crisis farm impact

The government has constituted two scientific panels to assemble an advanced countrywide agricultural weather information system and introduce tech-enabled assessment of crop yields to ward off the impacts of extreme weather linked to climate change

The committees comprise multidisciplinary experts and representation from several states. (HT Archive)
Updated on Apr 29, 2024 05:42 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Fewer arrivals in markets hit wheat procurement

The government has set a conservative wheat procurement target of 30-31 million tonnes despite record output estimate of 112 million tonne.

Centre has set a procurement target of 30-31 million tonnes. (HT Archive)
Updated on Apr 25, 2024 04:00 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Reservoirs run low after dry winter in most states

Water crisis grips India with 22 states facing low rainfall, major reservoirs at less than a third of capacity. Critical situation as heatwave worsens.

The Bhakra dam on the Sutlej river.(Ambuj Mishra / Wikimedia Commons)
Updated on Apr 23, 2024 04:37 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Biggest ever boost to FCI working capital, to help modernisation

The government has raised the authorized working capital of the FCI to ₹21,000 crore from ₹10,000 crore, the biggest hike ever

Biggest ever boost to FCI working capital, to help modernisation
Updated on Apr 21, 2024 06:46 AM IST

Govt asks traders to speed up pulses import from Myanmar using forex

Last year, the government found that importers of pigeon pea and black gram were hoarding their purchases in Myanmar by not bringing them to India immediately

India’s output of pulses dipped to 23.4 million tonne in 2023-24 from 26.1 million tonne a year ago, the agriculture ministry estimated (REUTERS)
Updated on Apr 17, 2024 03:41 AM IST
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