THE NEWS IN
PROPORTION
17 February 2020
17 February 2020
WTO IMPACT
The long arms of trade
The long arms of trade
As the countdown for the tenth Ministerial Conference of the WTO to be held in Nairobi, Kenya through 15-18 December commences, Shalini Bhutani emphasises the need for a cautious deliberation on how trade rules affect key sectors and all stakeholders.
GLOBAL TRADE
Will The NYT bat against Washington apples in India?A recent editorial in The New York Times rightly recognises the flaws of a growth model driven by lower trade barriers. But Devinder Sharma wonders if the American daily will take a stand and extend its arguments to champion the cause of all nations, including India.
RURAL INDUSTRY
Areca nut opens up new horizons for Assamese youthEco-friendly disposable plates and bowls made from sheaths of the abundant areca nut plant in rural Assam hold great promise for a lucrative industry with global reach. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports on the enterprise.
EASING FARM WOES
FDI: Neither necessary, nor sufficientThough FDI in retail is being projected as a cure-all for the ills in the agriculture and food sector, Devinder Sharma cites examples from the world over to argue why we should not be pinning our hopes on it.
TRADE OR HUNGER
US-EU spanner in the works of India's food security programmeIndia's food security bill is on top of the negotiating agenda for the forthcoming WTO Conference at Bali. Devinder Sharma explains why the likely compromise in the face of posturing from developed countries could have serious ramifications for food security and self-sufficiency.
AGRI-BUSINESS
New designs on foreign landsCross-border investments to acquire or lease thousands of hectares of lands are taking place, presumably to take advantage of cheaper input costs in some countries. Darryl D'Monte reports.
FOOD PRICE INFLATION
Watching prices rise, helplesslyThe current situation of impotence that the Government finds itself in should prompt some soul searching about the reliance on market mechanisms to take care of India's food security, writes Kannan Kasturi.
AGRICULTURE POLICY
Farmers sour on sugar caneThe handling of sugar production, sale and external trade by the government shows a complete absence of strategic planning on an issue that critically affects the aam aadmi. Kannan Kasturi reports.
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
ASEAN FTA - a hasty, unbalanced dealSince Kerala and ASEAN countries both produce several similar items, competition from the latter is a cause of worry in the former. But the Centre has over-ridden the State's objections to the free trade agreement, writes Bhaskar Goswami.
GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS
Patterns from the pastThe current crisis has some striking similarities with the fallout in India of the Great Depression of 1929-1933. Indian farmers were pushed deep into debt, and the overall economy suffered, recalls Kannan Kasturi.
TRADE IN AGRICULTURE
Outsourcing food productionAs food prices rise around the world, the political economy of food is being rewritten, with countries and companies moving to acquire large tracts of farmland around the world to secure their interests, notes Devinder Sharma.
OPINION: US FARM BILL 2007
Protection at home, preaching abroadIn clear disregard for the ongoing multilateral negotiations, the United States is attempting to protect its already heavily fortified agriculture further. The House of Representatives passed the US Farm Bill 2007 in July, proposing 286 billion dollars of support for American farmers over the next five years. Devinder Sharma on the implications.
CONSERVATION/ECONOMY
The Malnad melaNo matter which way India's seed policies are heading, the underlying purpose of Malnad's home garden programme as a community conservation initiative for the preservation of genetic diversity, organic agriculture, health and ecologically sensitive livelihoods remains undiluted. Keya Acharya reports from northern Karnataka.
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Amitabha Basu
- Retired Scientist
- National Physical
- Laboratory
- India Together reader
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