Selected Tag: G. Chandrashekhar

G. Chandrashekhar

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

India’s Trade Pact With Europe Offers Promise, Not Quick Gains

The India–EU FTA offers scale and promise, but strict standards, climate rules and structural gaps mean gains will be gradual, uneven and hard-earned.

G. Chandrashekhar

February 18, 2026 at 4:34 AM IST

PMO

Wheat Under Heat: Rising Temperatures Raise Harvest Concerns

Rising temperatures in key northern states could impact wheat yields just as harvest nears, posing risks to supply, prices, and procurement efforts amid fragile reserves.

G. Chandrashekhar

February 11, 2026 at 7:12 AM IST

iStocks/branex

Budget 2026

Why Govt Should Hike Customs Duty on Gold, Vegetable Oils

India’s surging gold and edible oil imports are widening the trade deficit, pressuring the rupee and hurting farmers, making a strong case for restoring higher import duties.

G. Chandrashekhar

January 29, 2026 at 7:04 AM IST

iStock.com/D. Talukdar

Budget 2026

Budget Must Treat Critical Minerals as Economic and Security Assets

India’s growth and security now depend on critical minerals. This Budget must move past intent and set out how the country plans to secure supply.

G. Chandrashekhar

January 23, 2026 at 5:01 AM IST

istock.com

Budget 2026

Budget Must Rescue Indian Agriculture From Drift and Denial

India’s farm crisis needs more than MSPs and subsidies. Budget 2026 must pivot to outcomes, technology and accountability, or risk surrendering food security and farmer incomes.

G. Chandrashekhar

January 21, 2026 at 12:09 PM IST

iStock.com

Millets: Turning a Policy Mirage into a Daily Food Miracle

Even after increases in minimum support prices, returns over cost for millets are still inferior to crops such as wheat or mustard.

G. Chandrashekhar

January 16, 2026 at 11:25 AM IST

iStock.com

Opinion

Disengaging with Iran Only Sensible Way Out

US secondary tariffs put India–Iran trade in a bind, forcing New Delhi to weigh strategic ties against far larger economic exposure to the US market.

G. Chandrashekhar

January 14, 2026 at 7:33 AM IST

iStock.com

Global coal demand set to slow gradually; India may buck the trend

Global coal demand is nearing a plateau as renewables rise, but India may defy the trend, balancing self-reliance goals with continued coal imports.

G. Chandrashekhar

January 9, 2026 at 9:03 AM IST

iStock.com

India’s Protein Blind Spot: Why Growth Has Not Fed the Nation Well

India’s malnutrition problem is not about shortages. It is about neglecting protein in food policy, even as domestic sources remain abundant and underused.

G. Chandrashekhar

December 17, 2025 at 11:33 AM IST

iStock.com

The Nutrition Blind Spot in India’s Food Security Journey

India may be food-secure, but it is far from nutrition-secure—malnutrition continues to erode health, productivity and economic potential across states and age groups.

G. Chandrashekhar

December 9, 2025 at 4:08 AM IST

iStock.com

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

India’s UK Agriculture Win Faces Its Real Test Beyond the Customs Gate

The recent trade deal offers fertile ground for India’s farm exports to thrive in the UK, provided standards and traceability take root.

G. Chandrashekhar

August 16, 2025 at 9:36 AM IST

PIB

Import the Seed Technology, Not the Crop

US trade talks offer India a chance to lift farm yields by licensing GM seed tech, not importing bulk crops that risk hurting domestic producers.

G. Chandrashekhar

August 11, 2025 at 6:02 AM IST

iStocks

Critical Minerals for Steel Tariffs, India Should Play its Cards Well

India can leverage its critical mineral reserves to ease US steel tariffs and secure better trade terms in ongoing bilateral negotiations

G. Chandrashekhar

July 28, 2025 at 1:01 PM IST

iStock.com

Explainer

India’s Steel Ambition Faces Hard Limits

India’s steel push to 300 million tonnes faces raw material gaps, import risks and climate hurdles that demand more than just policy support.

G. Chandrashekhar

July 21, 2025 at 7:27 AM IST

Trade Talks

Why Allowing Some US Agriculture Products May Be Not A Bad Idea

As US–India trade talks heat up, agriculture and GM crop access are on the table. Can India protect jobs and farmers while opening up to US demands? A high-stakes balancing act begins.

G. Chandrashekhar

July 11, 2025 at 2:58 PM IST

iStocks/Tofan Singh

Govt Gets Pragmatic About Crop Production, Lower Aim For Kharif 2025-26

Pulses, oilseeds, and cotton crops have struggled with production challenges over the past few years, with harvests falling short of targets and leading to supply shortages.

G. Chandrashekhar

July 3, 2025 at 12:49 PM IST

iStock.com

The Bureau

Bears Dominate Dalal Street, Equities Log Decline Led by Financials

Pakistan Bombs Afghan Cities, Minister Says it is ‘Open War’: Reports

Risk Appetite Wavers After Nvidia Slide and Iran Talks Stall

SEBI Overhauls Mutual Fund Categories, Ends Solution-Oriented Plans

Stablecoins Are Raising New Risks for Emerging Markets

FTA Revival and Uranium Deal Could Define Carney’s Visit: GTRI

US Slaps 126% Duty on Indian Solar Exports, Subsidised Parts From China Under Lens

Duvvuri Subbarao on India’s Growth, Inflation Targeting and Centre–State Faultlines

Learning to Shoot: I Tried to Fly Before I Could Walk