1.   

Food subsidy bill hit R45,125 cr on December 15, says Thomas

The Centre has released R45,125 crore towards food subsidy until December 15, in line with its budgeted subsidy of R60,572 crore for the current fiscal through March 2012. India’s food subsidy bill rose to R62,929,56 crore in 2010-11 from R58,242.45 crore the year before, food and public distribution minister K V Thomas said in Parliament on Monday, a day after the Cabinet cleared the food security bill that proposes to .....

2.   

Assam Govt to set up 100-cr terminal agri market

The State Government has drawn up a Rs 100-crore project for a terminal market for the agricultural produce under the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode. The Government is looking for an over 100-bigha plot of land for the purpose of setting up this facility. Besides, the Government has already started working on a vegetable market on a plot of over ten bighas of land in the Garchuk area of the city and it is also .....

3.   

Centre mulls setting up onion development fund?

Nashik member of parliament Sameer Bhujbal in a statement said that the union consumer and food minister KV Thomas has indicated to set up an 'onion development fund' on the lines of the sugar development fund. Mr Bhujbal also claimed that union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has said that the state government should start procurement of onions.  "Mr Pawar said that the state government can get 50% of the price it has .....

4.   

Ample supplies, subdued demand hold rice prices steady

The prices of Pusa-1121 varieties continued to tumble while all the other aromatic and non-basmati varieties were quoted with marginal variations on Wednesday on adequate supplies against reduced off-take. An increase in arrivals against subdued demand kept the rice market under pressure, said Mr Amit Chandna, proprietor of Hanuman Rice Trading Company. “Ample stocks and easy availability are not allowing a recovery in .....