G. Chandrashekhar

Chandrashekhar is an economist, journalist and policy commentator renowned for his expertise in agriculture, commodity markets and economic policy.

Import Visibility Needed to Complete India’s Edible Oils Data Reform

Monthly production reporting is useful, but without visibility on import contracts, policy timing will remain reactive rather than anticipatory.

G. Chandrashekhar

November 25, 2025 at 9:52 AM IST

Playing the Palm Oil Price Game

Palm oil’s brief premium over soft oils has faded as supply improves, demand eases and biodiesel economics weaken. With prices retreating and forecasts turning overheated, India faces a timely policy choice on duties and domestic growers’ interests.

G. Chandrashekhar

November 20, 2025 at 7:42 AM IST

iStock.com

Chronic Delays in Kharif Estimates Are Fuel for Market Volatility

Repeated delays in releasing Kharif production estimates are stoking needless speculation, weakening market confidence and undermining policy credibility.

G. Chandrashekhar

November 17, 2025 at 9:36 AM IST

iStock.com

Prune the List of Major Oilseeds and Sharpen Policy Focus

India needs a rethink on its oilseed strategy, with four of the nine “major” oilseeds no longer meriting MSP support. A sharper focus on crops like sunflower could cut import dependence and boost self-reliance.

G. Chandrashekhar

November 7, 2025 at 11:47 AM IST

Istock.com/bdspn

India’s Net Zero Dream Faces a Copper Reality Check

India’s green transition depends on resources it does not fully control. Unless we fix our copper deficit, the path to net zero may falter.

G. Chandrashekhar

November 4, 2025 at 8:02 AM IST

Istock/Phonlamaiphoto

Five Forces That Will Shape India’s Commodity-Driven Future

India’s economic rise will be powered by commodities, but five global forces will test how wisely it balances ambition, resilience and resource needs.

G. Chandrashekhar

October 31, 2025 at 6:15 AM IST

Arunvrparavur/Via WikiCommons

Regulate Bullion Trade for Transparency

The government should establish a robust mechanism to monitor the source of funds used in gold imports and implement end-to-end regulation of the bullion trade.

G. Chandrashekhar

October 27, 2025 at 4:38 AM IST

iStock.com/rvimages

India’s Growth Will Run on Commodities, But Are We Ready?

India’s next phase of growth will be fuelled by commodities like food, metals, energy, and fibre. But the question is whether we can scale up without exhausting resources.

G. Chandrashekhar

October 22, 2025 at 4:09 AM IST

iStock.com

Fixed Vegetable Oil Tariffs: A Recipe for Market Distortion

Locking vegetable oil tariffs for years would rob policymakers of flexibility, harm consumers and farmers, and chiefly benefit refiners.

G. Chandrashekhar

October 18, 2025 at 4:51 AM IST

iStocks/Kalinovskiy

Mission Pulses: Does It Pack The Protein Punch India Needs?

Rajesh Mahapatra

G. Chandrashekhar

October 16, 2025 at 4:15 PM IST

Genome Editing: A Quiet Revolution in Indian Rice Fields

Indian scientists are quietly rewriting the genetic code of rice. Early field trials of genome-edited varieties promise higher yields, lower input use, and greater resilience to climate stress.

G. Chandrashekhar

October 16, 2025 at 9:12 AM IST

Does Sustainable Palm Oil Deserve Any Concession?

Producers of certified sustainable palm oil seek duty relief, but there is little justification for any fiscal concession in the present circumstances

G. Chandrashekhar

October 10, 2025 at 12:31 PM IST

iStock.com

Self-Sufficiency Will Need More Than Just Pulses Mission

Missions are okay, but India must modernise the whole production and marketing ecosystem to become self-sufficient in pulses.

G. Chandrashekhar

October 8, 2025 at 7:26 AM IST

Raising Wheat’s MSP is Easy. What the Crop Needs is Real Reform

MSP hikes cannot mask wheat’s real troubles like heat stress, yield gaps, land limits and policy distortions. The crop demands bold, lasting reform.

G. Chandrashekhar

October 2, 2025 at 11:48 AM IST

iStocks/branex

Kharif Crop Prospects Satisfactory Overall, Risks from Excess Rainfall Remain

It is important to note that the total seasonal rainfall is not as critical as its temporal and spatial distribution, which are crucial for agriculture.

G. Chandrashekhar

September 29, 2025 at 1:15 PM IST

iStock.com

When America’s Farm Muscle Becomes its Geopolitical Weakness

The US, long dominant in farm exports, now faces a bruising reckoning as China turns elsewhere for its needs, exposing America’s fragile dependence.

G. Chandrashekhar

September 19, 2025 at 6:55 AM IST

iStock/beklaus

India’s Gold Muscle Is Wasted Without Market Credibility

India buys a fifth of the world’s gold yet takes cues from London and New York. Without trust, transparency and reform, import muscle means little.

G. Chandrashekhar

September 18, 2025 at 9:35 AM IST

stock/Andy

India’s Cotton Advantage is Slipping Through Policy Gaps

A once-proud cotton sector is shrinking under policy drift, falling yields, and rising imports. Unless reversed with urgency, India risks surrendering its edge.

G. Chandrashekhar

September 10, 2025 at 8:35 AM IST

Gargonia/Istock

India’s $10 Billion Textile Lifeline at Risk from Punitive US Tariffs

Trump’s tariff threats imperil India’s textile exports, endanger millions of jobs, and demand urgent domestic reform beyond stopgap incentives.

G. Chandrashekhar

September 9, 2025 at 8:18 AM IST

iStock.com

India’s Trade Playbook Exposed by Trump’s Tariff Shock

Trump’s fresh tariff blow exposes India’s risky over-dependence on key markets and imports, turning trade reliance into economic vulnerability.

G. Chandrashekhar

September 1, 2025 at 12:26 PM IST

White House

The Bureau

India’s Exports to US Fall 28.5% in Past Five Months as Tariffs Batter Key Sectors

Sensex, Nifty Hold Firm; India’s GDP Accelerates to 8.2% in July-September

Strong GDP Print Knocks Back Market Hopes of RBI Rate Cut

NCLT Approves National Spot Exchange’s Settlement Scheme With Traders

IMF Reclassifies India’s Exchange-Rate Regime as “Crawl-like arrangement”

Cabinet Oks Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets Manufacturing Scheme

Govt’s Farm Research Body Rejects Allegations on Gene-Edited Rice

Sundeep Sikka on Building Team at Nippon MF & the Future of Mutual Funds | Market Makers Part - II

Jallikattu: Tamil Nadu’s Ancient Bull-Taming Tradition