The food security challenge of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries lies not in affordability but accessibility due to its heavy reliance on imports, which is increasingly vulnerable to global events, according to a new report.
The government has made maintaining stable prices of all essential food items a priority this year in a bid to manage food inflation and temper unrest.
The number of Indians making online purchases is expected to break the 100m barrier this year, an increase of roughly one-third over 2016 as people get increasingly plugged in.
The Reserve Bank of India Governor D Subbarao has sparked outrage by saying that a rise in rural incomes has resulted in increasing food inflation in the country.
High food inflation in India is “credit negative” for the wider economy, hurting government finances and making it difficult for the country’s central bank to deal with monetary policy, according to Moody’s.
Instability and upheaval in China’s food and beverage sector are some of the factors behind price spikes in that market, according to an industry expert.