Cotton prices, which had hit an international high in 2011, have come down since and have been stable over the past year.

“India’s key to future success — its youth — is a ticking time bomb. It is a growing mass of largely undernourished, undereducated, unemployable young people who aspire for a better life but don’t have the means to get there. Why? Because they aren’t qualified for the job market, and even if they are, jobs don’t exist.”

The price of rice has been rising since September 2011, making this basic cereal more and more expensive.