David Zilberman

COVID-19 has created high transaction costs and uncertainty in India’s transformed food supply chains, putting food security at risk as 92% of food consumption in India is purchased, predominantly from the private sector. Government faces the challenge of marshalling resources between mitigating the impending food crisis and containing the contagion as the risk of sociopolitical tensions looms large. It is recommended that the government concentrate on sustaining the food supply chains towards eventual rebound, recognising that government food distribution cannot replace even a tenth of the market.

Read more about COVID-19’s Disruption of India’s Transformed Food Supply Chains

Bt Cotton Controversy

Vol. 40, Issue No. 15, 09 Apr, 2005

Arjunan Subramanian, David Zilberman, Gopal Naik, Matin Qaim

Studies conducted to help resolve the debate surrounding the economic benefits of Bt cotton to farmers in India report both positive and negative results. Since its introduction, the acreage under approved Bt cotton in India has increased substantially from 90,000 acres in 2002 to 1.3 million acres in 2004. This study, with the help of a primary survey, explores the paradoxes reported in earlier studies on Indian experience and finds that the technology generates overall economic benefits on average, but heterogeneity among farmers needs to be accounted for. The study also finds that germplasm effects can play an important role.