Sayantan Bera, Livemint

Sayantan Bera

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Past articles by Sayantan:

The role of food labels in a healthy diet

India has been dragging its feet over regulating packaged and processed food, despite growing addiction to junk food and a related rise in conditions such as diabetes and cardiac arrest. Will a soon-to-be released draft regulation make any difference? Mint explores: → Read More

Will the rise in global food prices bite India?

A bunch of factors could push retail food inflation to discomforting levels in 2022.If crude oil prices cross $100 a barrel, food inflation could soar to new highs in 2022. Any increase in crude oil prices have a direct bearing since it raises shipping and input costs → Read More

Poverty and hunger stalk India's countryside

As macroeconomic indicators begin to register an uptick, a Mint ground report from UP reveals the rural reality. → Read More

Why fortified food is no magic bullet

A race is on to add vitamins and micronutrients into everything from PDS rice to milk. Is it necessary?.This push also raises several concerns. By looking for a low-cost, quick fix—adding nutrients to mass consumption staples—are policymakers ignoring the role of dietary diversity? → Read More

The hope and hype behind India's agritech boom

With the funding tap opening up, an agri startup unicorn is no longer a distant dream. But will farmers benefit?.There is, however, another side to the buzz and excitement. Few investors claim that most funds flow into a handful of platforms, while product-led innovations are starved of capital → Read More

Inside the third front of the farm agitation

The sudden groundswell of support in western Uttar Pradesh could widen the protests. A ground report.While farmers in Punjab and Haryana fear a market takeover, farmers in western UP are angry because the government went back on its promise to pay sugarcane growers on time → Read More

The faces behind the farmer revolt

Unlikely alliances brought the disquiet to Delhi’s doorstep. Here’s the definitive behind-the-scenes account.Many of the farmer leaders who are out on the streets have not seen eye-to-eye for years, if not decades. Yet, decisions are being taken jointly, brushing aside years of acrimony → Read More

Price risks make farmers wary of private markets

For over 12 days now, farmers have been pressing the Centre to repeal a set of agriculture laws passed in September. Centre argues that the agenda is to offer choice to farmers while growers see unregulated private markets as a threat to minimum support prices. Mint explores. → Read More

Pesticide ban proposal stirs up a hornets’ nest

Following representations from industry, the farm ministry had lifted the ban on export of these 27 molecules.Activists, advocating a ban, argue that at least 17 of the 27 molecules did not undergo bio-safety assessment → Read More

Locusts could threaten India's upcoming kharif crop season

The ministry of agriculture was late to act, the Centre is yet to provide any financial aid to affected state governments, and while Pakistan declared an emergency way back on 1 February, India stepped up control operations only in May, after swarms moved beyond border states → Read More

The great lockdown gums up animal farms

India’s cattle are on an enforced diet, milk’s value is on the slide and chicken farmers are in deep despair.The livestock sector contributes 30% to India’s agricultural GDP and is valued at over ₹9 trillion. Yet, during the lockdown, policy and remedial interventions have largely focused on crops → Read More

Corona has pushed Bharat to the brink

A prolonged lockdown will hurt farmers about to harvest the winter crop and the landless living on daily wages.Continued disruption in the food supply chain will eventually hit consumers if prices vary widely across regions. This uncertainty has also hit 70 mn households in rural India who own small dairies → Read More

FMCG firms taking small, micro steps to beat rural sales slump

A combination of stagnating incomes, dearth of jobs and erratic rainfall has hurt low-income rural households.Both Godrej and Dabur said they are focusing on regional markets with specific ad campaigns to attract shoppers → Read More

Slowdown stories from India’s heartland

With sliding incomes, rural households are struggling to stay afloat and are curtailing consumption of essential goods → Read More

Why Amethi said bye-bye to Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi’s fall from grace in a family bastion holds answers to the Congress’ wider electoral washout.Smriti Irani regularly attended religious congregations in Amethi. Before polling day, local TV channels showed her running around to douse the fire in a crop field → Read More

Opinion | Will ‘nation’ trump ‘kisan’ again this election season?

A country that is home to 150 million farm households has failed to elect a single farmer leader to Parliament who has a sway beyond a certain state → Read More

BJP poll machinery wary of farm distress amid drop in crop prices and stagnating rural wages

As NDA seeks re-election, agriculture will form an important part of the poll narrative with BJP banking on PM-Kisan scheme and its MSP promise.Over the past few years, the issues plaguing rural India have remained constant → Read More

Will PM-Kisan transform India’s agriculture support ecosystem?

The farm income support scheme was launched after NDA’s other flagship schemes failed to tackle rural distress.The scheme promises to pay ₹6,000 every year to each of the 120 million farmer families in India → Read More

NDA govt’s last budget will be a political call to pacify farmers

Centre likely to announce a ₹10,000 per-farmer income transfer scheme, among other steps, on 1 Feb The transfer scheme will be on a per-farmer basis, and may be limited to small and marginal farmers who own less than five acres → Read More

Govt fails to pacify farmers, protest likely to continue

Farmers clash with police on Delhi-UP border, stopped from entering national capital → Read More