India did not experience any food price spikes during 2007-08 when global food prices erupted. It was partly due to India's ban on exports of wheat and common rice. But the fiscal stimulus that the government provided in 2009 in the wake of G8 countries' call to avert economic recession, coupled...

India's policy responses to the food price crisis were strong. Exports of basic staples were banned. Domestic support prices of wheat and rice were raised substantially. The urea price increases in global markets were absorbed through enhanced fertilizer subsidies. The government launched the...

Replaced with revised version of paper 07/16/04.

Tracking the revolutionary changes in the Indian agricultural sector, it is quite clear that technology, institutions, and markets have had a very important role to play. Of course the public sector played a pivotal and catalytic role when India ushered in Green Revolution in late sixties and...

The South Asian countries are gradually diversifying with some inter-countryvariation in favor of high value commodities, namely fruits, vegetables, livestock andfisheries. Agricultural diversification is strongly influenced by price policy, infrastructuredevelopment (especially markets and...

Rice is the lifeline of almost 70% of the world's poor residing in Asia,where more than 90% of world rice production and consumption takes place. Ricetrade liberalization therefore has tremendous implications for poverty. The worldrice market is highly distorted, partly because of the high...