Private investment in agricultural sector: Modi govt weighing easier norms

Higher investments by companies including PepsiCo., Hindustan Unilever Ltd., ITC Ltd., which buy from farmers in some states, could boost incomes faster

India is considering simpler regulations to attract more corporate investment in agriculture as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to keep his promise to double farmers’ income by 2022, an adviser to the government said.

Asia’s third-largest economy, more than half the country’s population depend on farming for their livelihood, should relax rules for companies investing in contract farming, transport, marketing, warehouses and food processing, said Ramesh Chand, member of the government think tank National Institution for Transforming India, also called NITI Aayog. India’s farms should become outsourcing hubs for global supermarket chains, he said, noting he expects an announcement on the