The Indian government passed the long pending National Food Security Bill as an ordinance. The controversial bill has incited much debate over the feasibility and impact of guaranteeing food grains to nearly 800 million Indians living in poverty. One question is whether the grain procurement and storage system can support the bill’s execution. http://www.ndtv.com/article/cheat-sheet/why-the-food-security-bill-is-good-politics-bad-economics-387468
Archive | policy
RSS feed for this sectionThe Potential of Mechanization in Agriculture
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The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture continues to allocate funding for farm mechanization, as well as subsidize farm machinery for qualifiying farmer organizations. Experts say increased mechanization can increase production by 5% and reduce postharvest losses by 5% to 10%. The government hopes to attract more young people to farming for employment. http://www.manilatimes.net/the-potential-of-mechanization-in-agriculture/12160/
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Thai Rice Pledging, Moisture Content, and Corruption
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Major losses in the government’s flagship pledging program led officials to slash the pledging price of unmilled white rice by 20%, set a limit on household pledge amounts, and cap the total amount of paddy to be bought each year at 15 million tonnes. Many say modifications aren’t enough to curb corruption among millers and […]
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Obsolete Policies ‘Fanning Africa’s Hunger’
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A FAO official says many African nations still lack agricultural policies founded in research, causing them to lag behind in food security matters. Experts call for a systematic mechanism for monitoring policy across the continent, and emphasize the need to focus more on smallholder farmers and their access to inputs, infrastructure, and markets. http://www.africareview.com/progress/Good-policies-key-to-Africa-food-security/-/1502374/1864828/-/oes15r/-/index.html?relative=true
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Who Really Benefited from the Rice Scheme?
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Thailand’s rice scheme is under scrutiny after being found to incur major losses in its first year. Public officials, bureaucrats, millers, processors, and other middlemen in the agro-processing sector are targeted as corrupt, at the expense of farmers. http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/355674/who-really-benefitted-from-the-rice-scheme
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India to Consider Allowing Extra Wheat Exports on Friday
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As procured stocks reach 44 million tonnes as of June 1, India is considering adding two million more tonnes of wheat to its tender scheme of 4.5 million tonnes, of which nearly all has been released. http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/india-wheat-exports-idINDEE95I06R20130619
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Farmers Lose in Rice Review
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Major losses in the government’s flagship pledging program led officials to slash the pledging price of unmilled white rice by 20%, set a limit on household pledge amounts, and cap the total amount of paddy to be bought each year at 15 million tonnes. Many say modifications aren’t enough to curb corruption among millers and […]
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Succour for Crop Loss in 15 Days
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Officials assess loss damage on mandi sites to determine how much compensation will be distributed to farmers whose open-lying paddy crop was destroyed by the weather. Many mandis lack basic shed coverage. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-19/bhubaneswar/40068525_1_crop-loss-mandis-kalahandi
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Uganda: Maize Maze
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Informal trade of maize in Uganda leaves farmers in constant speculation of good prices, often making it expensive to properly store grain. The World Food Programme says Ugandan maize has huge market potential if farmers meet the East African Standard for maize grain, something stakeholders are keen to avoid given the lucrative, cash-immediate nature of […]
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NRPC Wants Pledge Price Ceiling Cut
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Government officials debate the accuracy of loss figures for Thailand’s rice-scheme, and what steps they will take to maintain fiscal discipline for pledged paddy. The Finance Ministry reports a loss of $4.4 billion USD in the first year of the rice-scheme, with some unsold grain rotting in warehouses. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/355589/rice-purchase-payouts-face-cuts
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