While agricultural value chains are rapidly evolving (Reardon, 2015; Reardon et al., 2021; Barrett et al., 2022), research attention has increasingly taken notice of the important role played by actors in the ag ricultural midstream.

Globally, India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses, but increasing demand due to population growth has made the country reliant on imports, including from Myanmar. In turn, Myanmar is highly dependent on exports to India.

Bihar, among the poorest and least industrialized states in India implemented the most far reaching agricultural market reforms in 2006 by removing law (APMC act) that restricted farmers to selling in government regulated markets.

In recent years in India, minimum support price (MSP) and government procurement, especially of paddy and wheat, have been discussed widely, but these discussions have often drawn on evidence that is dated and incomplete.

The 2020 farm laws have been opposed by several farmers due to their possible use for corporate takeover of agriculture, removal of APMC mandis, and dilution of minimum support price and public procurement.

In March 2020, India declared a nationwide lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such restrictions on mobility interrupted the normal functioning of agricultural value chains.

A notable approach to addressing maternal undernutrition during pregnancy in India in recent years has been the integration of hot-cooked meals (HCM) for pregnant and lactating women together with the provision of other health/nutrition services.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected several economic sectors in India, dragging many to the brink of survival.

In 2015–16 some 38% of preschool children in India were stunted, 21% wasted, and more than half of Indian mothers and young children were anemic.

Agriculture in India needs to get the markets right, in the first place. Only then can the raising of farmers’ incomes to a reasonable level become a reality. Across space or over time, farmers should be able to trade freely with certainty.

There are several lessons to learn from the experiments in the past, like the repeal of APMC in Bihar and the institution of e-NAM, which have elements of the current farm acts.

The MSP system, in place since the mid-1960s, was part of the country’s drive to reduce dependence on food imports.

The coronavirus pandemic has sparked not only a health crisis but also an economic crisis, which together pose a serious threat to food security, particularly in poorer countries.

Globally, COVID-19 is a public health emergency with grave impact on the population of the world, especially the poor and marginalized.

Malnutrition is endemic in India. In 2015-16 some 38% of preschool children were stunted and 21% were wasted, while more than half of Indian mothers and children were anemic.

The Food Security Portal's COVID-19 Food Price Monitor serves as a temperature check of market conditions for staple and non-staple foods at the local level.