New Delhi | Reuters — India’s minister for food processing resigned on Thursday over her opposition to planned laws to allow farmers to sell produce directly to bulk buyers and make contract farming easier, saying the legislation will hurt millions of the country’s farmers. “Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister,” Harsimrat […] Read more
Indian cabinet minister quits over farm legislation
India’s levy cut on lentils part of balancing act
Global markets had zero or little forewarning of decision
MarketsFarm — To Pulse Canada, the recent move by the Indian government to temporarily reduce the import levy on lentils from 30 to 10 per cent is part of a balancing act between competing interests. Greg Cherewyk, president of Pulse Canada, explained that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “looking after the needs of a politically […] Read more
India offers U.S. dairy, chicken access in bid for elusive trade deal
New Delhi/Washington | Reuters — India has offered to partially open up its poultry and dairy markets in a bid for a limited trade deal during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first official visit to the country this month, people familiar with the protracted talks say. India, the world’s largest milk-producing nation, has traditionally restricted dairy […] Read more
Indian court acquits six in cow vigilante case
New Delhi | Reuters — An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted six men of the killing of a 55-year-old Muslim dairy farmer, citing lack of evidence, raising questions over the prosecution’s failure to make its case despite videos of a crowd beating him in the street. The 2017 attack on Pehlu Khan and his two […] Read more
Trump and Modi’s lavish farm payouts prompt questions at WTO
Geneva | Reuters — Massive farm-support plans in the United States and India are being scrutinized by other World Trade Organization members, questions submitted to the WTO’s quarterly agriculture committee meeting showed on Monday. The WTO has strict rules about the size and nature of payments, and member governments keep a close watch for any […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Lentils stable after recent price increases
MarketsFarm — Prices for red and green lentils have stabilized after they increased, according to Marcos Mosnaim of Globeways Canada in Mississauga. Red lentil prices began to rise about two to three weeks ago, he said, as shipments were made to India with the exporter increasing the price. “I would love to see a firm […] Read more
Trump moves to scrap trade privilege for India
Washington/New Delhi | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump looked set to open a new front in his trade wars with a plan to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to US$5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States. Monday’s move comes as trade tensions between the […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Eyes on India as North America’s prices firm
CNS Canada — From where Prairie pulse market analysts sit, India’s politics and current weather situation remain important to watch. India’s national election will be called in the next three to five months. “There’s so many hundreds of thousands of farmers in India and they have political clout,” said Allan Johnston of Johnston Grains at […] Read more
Some Indian trader, farmer groups decry Walmart’s Flipkart deal
New Delhi | Reuters — A day after U.S. retail giant Walmart struck its largest deal with a big ticket investment in Indian online marketplace Flipkart, a right-wing Hindu group that fears small traders will suffer staged a protest in New Delhi calling for the deal to be scrapped. Walmart said on Wednesday it would […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: India not a guaranteed market
CNS Canada — Despite positive developments between Canada and India in regards to pulse crops, the CEO of Pulse Canada is warning producers not to rely on India as market for pulses. “India is not the market that it was eight months ago and it emphasizes the need to find alternate markets,” Gordon Bacon said. […] Read more
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