Harish Damodaran

Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala are among India's most indebted states. The new governments there will have to generate new revenue sources and reduce borrowings in an environment where interest rates are rising

Indian agriculture exporters have managed to diversify away from the US market, with marine products, buffalo meat and coffee being star performers

How much does India currently export, and how would such a ban help? We explain

The Iran crisis-induced supply shock in fertilisers and a below-normal monsoon may give a boost to bajra, moong and other pulses. MSP procurement by government can also help.

The total bill, which includes import of inputs used in domestically manufactured fertilisers, was over $27 billion in 2025-26 and may cross the 2022-23 record of $33.4 billion this fiscal on account of the Iran war.

India was a beneficiary of ultra-low interest rates and quantitative easy by major global central banks. That era is over now.

This is substantially lower than the winning landed price bids of $935-959 per tonne for an earlier tender by Indian Potash Ltd (IPL) for import of 2.5 mt.

The West Asia conflict, along with the government's proposed easing of approval procedures, can give a leg up to next-generation fertilisers with higher nutrient use efficiency than urea or DAP.

El Niño conditions have developed and are expected to become a 'very strong' event, causing dry weather in India, Southeast Asia, and Australia, and heavy rains and flooding in Latin America and the US.

Short maturity period, low water and fertiliser requirement, and good fodder yields works to the millet crop's advantage