Deep Research, Clear Insights, Better Decisions

We research on Indian agriculture to address pressing issues across domains such as gender, climate change, food security, and health.

OUR INSIGHTS ADD VALUE

Arcus Policy Research extends research services on economic, gender, social, and technological issues related to agricultural policies. We are a data driven enterprise and use both secondary and primary data (from our own primary surveys) to shape and test ideas and interventions.

LOCAL TO GLOBAL

Bringing local perspectives to global issues.

DATA DRIVEN IDEAS

Shaping and validating ideas through data.

ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS

Driving positive change through actionable insights.

KNOWLEDGE FOR PUBLIC

Empowering the public through shared knowledge.

Sugar Industries

Change in Farmers Stocking and
Marketing Decisions: Findings from Survey of Gram and Mustard Farmers in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan

It is commonly believed that Indian farmers sell their entire produce almost
immediately after harvest. Such assessment seems to be strong even within the
Government of India. On the basis of such an assessment, successive governments
assume immunity of Indian farmers to impacts of any knee-jerk trade restricting
actions it takes during a crop’s life cycle, under say the Essential Commodities Act
1955 (ECA) or Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992.
Shweta Saini, Siraj Hussain, Pulkit Khatri, March 2024
Sugar Industries

Does India have enough
feedstock to meet its E20
fuel-blending targets by 2025?

The Indian Government has set the target of achieving 20 per cent blending of ethanol (E20) in petrol by 2025-26. This is projected to achieve savings of about $4 billion in country’s annual oil import bill. The NITI Aayog projects country’s annual ethanol requirement at 10.16 billion litres to achieve the E20 mandate and an additional 3.34 billion litres to meet the demand from other industries.
Shweta Saini and Siraj Hussain, Dec 2023
Sugar Industries

Agricultural Transformation in Telangana : an aSSeSSment of raw material availability

What Telangana did in six years, India did in 28. When the state was created in 2014, less than half (47.6 per cent) of the state’s cropped area had access to assured irrigation. In the next six years, the state expanded this coverage to about 65 percent of total cropped area. The country as a whole took about 28 years to deliver a similar magnitude of increase in irrigation and yet, India’s irrigation coverage stands only at 52 per cent (2018-19).
Shweta Saini, Pulkit Khatri and R. VIJAYA KUMARI , July 2023
Sugar Industries

Renaissance of UP: The Captivating Story & Distillery Industry’s Transformation

Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the largest state in India also known as Granary of the nation, having a diverse Agricultural and a large consumer base. The state has population of 230 million people, contributing to a whopping 16% of the country’s consumer base.
Shweta Saini, Krittika Mukhopadhyay, Pulkit Khatri, July 2023
Sugar Industries

Ethanol Blending of
Petrol in India : an aSSeSSment of raw material availability

Since 2018, India has moved rapidly and impressively with its ethanol production and fuel blending plan. From less than 2 billion litres in 2019-20, the country supplied about 4.1 billion litres of ethanol for fuel blending in 2021-22. This pulled up the average rate of blending in the country, from 5 percent in 2019-20 to about 9.5 percent in 2021-22. GOI has now advanced its target to achieve 20 percent ethanol blending (e20) from 2029-30 to 2025-26.
Shweta Saini, Pulkit Khatri and Siraj Hussain , May 2023
Sugar Industries

Food inflation below 6% but average Indian still hurting. What explains the disconnect

In March 2023, the annual retail food inflation in India went down to 4.79 per cent, and it was taken to be a sign of relief by many. If that was the case, then why does the average consumer continue to complain about high food prices?. Most Indians don’t understand this issue clearly.
Shweta Saini, and Siraj Hussain | The Print | April 25, 2023
Sugar Industries

Farm Loan Waivers in India:
Assessing Impact and Looking Ahead

Agriculture indebtedness is considered as one of the main reasons for the agrarian distress andfarm loan waivers are considered as the elebrated tool to alleviate this distress.
Shweta Saini, Siraj Hussain and Pulkit Khatri
previous arrowprevious arrow
next arrownext arrow