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Welcome
to the monthly newsletter for journalists about the impact of subsidies,
produced in partnership by IPS
- Inter Press Service and GSI
- Global Subsidies Initiative.
THIS
MONTH'S FOCUS:
INDIA AND THE GLOBAL FARM TRADE
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Agriculture is a crucial sector for India.
A reduction in wealthy country subsidies is
widely expected to be a boon for its farmers
and the economy. Yet research suggests that
India is not well positioned to benefit from
improved world market conditions. |
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ABOUT
THIS NEWSLETTER
Subsidies
—transfers of public money to private interests—
are so common that for the most part they
go unnoticed; they can also be arcane and
complex, posing tremendous challenges for
journalists. Yet, many experts believe that
subsidies are one of the most critical factors
in determining the sustainability of a government’s
economic, social and environmental policies.
Read more here about the organisations that
have partnered to bring you this newsletter,
and why.
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Why India Needs More Than OECD Subsidy Reform
By Surabhi Mittal
Wealthy countries support their farmers through a host of different measures, such as direct payments, price incentives and export subsidies, which artificially reduce world prices below the cost of production and inhibit the ability of farmers in poorer countries to compete in the world market. …
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More
information about subsidies
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The Global Subsidies Initiative cooperates
with an international network of researchers
working on subsidy related issues. Journalists
working on stories that involve subsidies,
and who are in search of expertise,
information and support are invited
to contact Javed Ahmad, the GSI's Director
of Communications, at info@globalsubsidies.org.
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Surabhi Mittal - Bio
Surabhi Mittal
is an agricultural expert and senior fellow of the Indian Council
for Research on International Economic Relations. The essay is based
on her final report for the project ‘Effects of Global Agricultural
Trade Liberalisation on Agricultural Production and Poverty in India’
in 2007. Under the Global Research Project ‘Impact of Rich Countries
Policies on Poverty: Perspectives from the Developing World’
and sponsored by Global Development Network.
SUBSIDIES
STORIES FROM IPS - RECENT ARTICLES
CLIMATE
CHANGE: Biofuels Worse Than Fossil Fuels, Studies Find
By Stephen Leahy
BROOKLIN, Canada, Feb 8 (IPS) - Biofuels are making climate change
worse, not better, according to two new studies which found that total
greenhouse gas emissions from biofuels are far higher than those from
burning gasoline because biofuel production is pushing up food prices
and resulting in deforestation and loss of grasslands.
ENVIRONMENT:
Record Financing For Biofuels, Not Food
By Stephen Leahy
BROOKLIN, Canada, Feb 4 (IPS) - Biofuels have quickly turned from
environmental saviour to just another mega-scale get-rich quick scheme.
Countries and regions without their own oil reserves to tap now see
their farms, peatlands and forests as potential "oil fields" -- shallow
but renewable lakes of green oil.
EL
SALVADOR: Benefits of Free Trade Deal Still Remote
By Raúl Gutiérrez
SAN SALVADOR, Jan 31 (IPS) - The Salvadoran government had proclaimed
that from the moment of its entry into force, the free trade agreement
with the United States would boost the local economy, creating thousands
of jobs, so that even street vendors would be exporting their typical
snacks. But nearly two years later, the economic paradise has yet
to arrive.
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