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07 Dec, 2023 News Image

Gujarat to Host Event on Agro and Food Processing at Anand on Dec 7: Raghavji Patel.

Gujarat will host an event on agro and food processing at Anand on Thursday as part of the pre-Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, providing an opportunity for investors and business community to explore the benefits the state provides in the sector, Cabinet Minister Raghavji Patel said here on Tuesday.

A pre-Vibrant seminar on 'Leveraging Logistic Strength of Gujarat for Agro and Food Processing Sector' will be organised at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Auditorium at Amul in Anand on December 7, Patel told reporters.

'The event will serve as a platform for the government and the private sector to collaborate and discuss the infrastructural and logistical strengths of the state,' the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in the Gujarat government said.

More than 30,000 food processing units have been set up in the state, expanding the scope for value-addition to surplus produce, thanks to improved connectivity for exports, stated a government release.

The summit will consist of three sessions featuring panelists from both the industry and academia. The discussion will cover topics such as 'Vibrant Gujarat: Where Growth is Natural,' 'Food Supply Chain Management for 'One Earth, One Family, One Future,' and 'Gujarat Fortifying Global Food Platter with Greens, White, and Blue,' stated the release.

Source: latestly.com

06 Dec, 2023 News Image

Exporters meet held in Ahmedabad.

CM Bhupendra Patel presided over ‘Export Accelerate’, a pre-VGGS event held in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. At the event, Patel said that PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Vocal for Local’ call is now evolving into ‘Local Goes Global’. Industries minister Balvantsinh Rajput said that exports from Gujarat have increased 24-fold in the past two decades. A number of businessmen and industries engaged in export of products participated in the event.

At COP28, India needs to flag misconception that exports, imports add to global carbon emissions: GTRI

GTRI think tank urges India to raise the misconception that trade significantly contributes to global emissions at COP28 in Dubai. While trade-related activities account for only 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, transportation and production of goods are often mistakenly attributed to the trade process, inflating its perceived environmental impact. GTRI also suggests that the WTO focuses on regulating trade rather than overreaching into areas better managed by specialized agencies, such as the IMO's efforts in decarbonizing global shipping. Additionally, India should highlight potential conflicts between the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the Paris Agreement's emission reduction goals.

Mahindra sales up 32 percent in Nov '23 at 39,981 units, exports fall significantly

Mahindra's sales figures for November 2023 reveal a healthy demand during the festive season, with a total of 70,576 units sold, marking a 21 percent growth compared to the same period last year. In the domestic market, sales in the passenger vehicle segment reached 39,981 units, a 32 percent increase from November 2022. The commercial vehicle segment recorded 22,211 units. Exports, however, declined by 42 percent, with only 1,816 units shipped. In the farm equipment segment, sales rose by 6 percent to 31,069 units domestically, while exports dropped by 25 percent to 1,005 units.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

06 Dec, 2023 News Image

High Yielding Species of Seeds of Pulses.

National Agricultural Research System (NARS) under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed the region specific, high yielding and climate resilient varieties of different crops including pulses. Since 2014, total of 369 varieties of 14 pulse crops have been released and notified in the country including 24 varieties of seven pulse crops viz., chickpea (6), fieldpea (6), pigeon pea (5), fababean (3), mungbean (2), urdbean (1) and lentil (1) for Bihar upto September, 2023.

Number of steps has been taken to make seeds of new improved varieties available to farmers for cultivation at the earliest which include:

(i) Production and supply of breeder seed of improved varieties seed. During past five years, 15.60 lakh q breeder seed of pulses was produced and supplied by ICAR to different public and private sector seed production agencies for downstream multiplication of foundation and certified seed.

(ii) Established of 150 Pulses Seed hubs and 12 centres for enhancing breeder seed production in 2016 which have produced and supplied 7.09 lakhs quality seed and 21713 q breeder seed during 2016-17 to 2022-23.

(iii) Total 1587.74 lakh q quality seed was produced involving 6.39 lakh villages

(iv) training of 98.07 lakhs farmers during 2014-23 under seed village scheme for making quality seed available at village level.

(v) Distribution of seeds of new high yielding varieties through 6000 Front Line Demonstrations and 151873 Cluster Front Line Demonstrations of pulses during 2018-19 to 2022-23.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

Source: pib.gov.in

06 Dec, 2023 News Image

India to import tur, urad from Myanmar in January-February.

The government is set to import 400,000 tonnes of tur dal (pigeon pea) in January and 1 million tonnes of urad dal (black gram) in February from Myanmar to keep a lid on rising prices of these pulses in the domestic market, a senior official told ET.

India is importing tur at a time when harvesting is still under way, as it anticipates lower production compared with last year on account of a fall in acreage.

In January this year, the government imposed a stock limit on tur and urad to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation, and help improve affordability for consumers. While the restriction was to end on October 30, the government extended it till December-end.

On Tuesday, the all India retail price of urad was Rs 11,198.09 a quintal against last year’s Rs 9,627.48, according to government data.

Retail inflation in pulses accelerated to 18.79% in October, mainly due to a sharp spike in the prices of tur (40.94%), gram (11.16%), and moong (12.75%). The rate of inflation in tur was higher than 37.3% in September. This is despite the government’s effort to increase imports from Africa and Myanmar by scrapping the import duty on tur in March.

Making matters worse, the acreage under tur shrank during the kharif season, leading to production shortage which in turn pushed food inflation in the last few months. The area under tur dropped from 4.61 million hectares on September 29, 2022, to 4.39 million hectares on September 29, 2023, show government data.

According to the first advance estimates of the Ministry of Agriculture for the kharif crops of 2023-24, production of tur is estimated at 3.42 million tonnes, which is almost similar to last year’s production. The area under urad is estimated at 3.07 million hectares, compared with about 3.10 million hectares last year.

'The total annual requirement of tur dal in India is 45 lakh (4.5 million) metric tonnes as it is consumed in most parts of India,' said Bimal Kothari, chairman of the India Pulses & Grains Association.

Experts indicate that with tur prices still nearly 40% higher in November, pulses inflation may accelerate further. Tur has a 0.8% weight in the retail basket.

At the wholesale level, tur dal is hovering at Rs 87-90 per kg. 'Post imports, it is expected that there will be no sudden surge in prices. The consignments for tur will land in India from Myanmar in January,' added Kothari.

According to the Bank of Baroda’s 2023-2024 kharif crop projection report, urad dal production will be down to 1.5-1.6 million tonnes as compared to 1.77 million tonnes in kharif of 2022-2023.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

06 Dec, 2023 News Image

Food Processing Projects.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) does not set up any Food Processing Industries on its own. However, it incentivizes setting up of such industries through its schemes. A total of 15 food processing projects, located in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, have been approved for assistance in 2021. Out of these, detailed status of 7 projects located in Andhra Pradesh, is placed at Annexure.

There has been no overrun in financial assistance approved by Ministry for these projects. As per related scheme guidelines, such projects are to be completed within 20 months of the issue of approval letter. However, various reasons, including COVID related restrictions, have led to delay in completion of some of these projects.

MoFPI has taken various measures for timely implementation of these projects, which include (i) Dashboard for monitoring the progress of the projects; (ii) Regularly review with the promoters to help remove bottlenecks in implementation; (iii) Assessing the progress of projects though Virtual site visits to prevent delays in their completion; (iv) Issues taken up with the Banks/ Financial Institutions to expedite sanction and disbursement of term loan to the projects; (v) Penal provisions for promoters in case of delayed completion of projects.

Details of approved projects under corresponding schemes of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana located in Andhra Pradesh in 2021

(Rs in Cr)

ComponentScheme-IntegratedColdChainandValueAdditionInfrastructure Scheme

Project

Date of

Approval

Date of

Completion

Project

cost

Approved

Grant-in- aid

Released

Grant-in- aid

Status

Aparna

Marine Exports

31.03.2021

03.02.2023

40.67

9.53

Operational

Mulpuri

Aqua Processors

31.03.2021

23.03.2023

37.07

10.00

9.58

Operational

Mek world

Marines and Exports Pvt Ltd

31.03.2021

28.22

10.00

6.27

Under

Implementation

Vaisakhi

Bio Marine Pvt. Ltd.

31.03.2021

44.16

10.00

0.00

Under

Implementation

Krishna

pib.gov.in

06 Dec, 2023 News Image

Products under One District One Product in PMFME Scheme.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has approved One District One Product (ODOP) for 713 districts of 35 States and UTs under PMFME Scheme on the recommendations of respective States / UTs which includes 137 unique products. The detailed list of ODOP for 713 districts is at Annexure.

ODOP has been approved for all the 36 districts of State of Maharashtra including 20 unique products. However, no ODOP product has been recommended by State of West Bengal under PMFME Scheme.

The digital ODOP GIS map indicating district-wise details of ODOP in 713 districts, 216 Integrated Tribal Development Areas, 112 Aspirational districts and 35 SC districts with 40 % SC population are being indicated on GIS Map for the ease of beneficiaries to identify and visualize its resources. GIS map is available at https://odop.mofpi.gov.in/odop/

State / district-wise details of ODOP approved in the country including State of Maharashtra

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLAND
Sl. No.	District	ODOP
1	South Andaman	Marine Fish Products
2	Nicobar	Coconut based Products
3	Middle & North Andaman	Coconut based Products
TOTAL		3

ANDHRA PRADESH

Sl. No.

District

ODOP

Ananthapur

Groundnut Products

Chittoor

Tomato

East Godavari

Coconut Products

Guntur

Spices (Chilli and Turmeric)

Kadapa

Banana

Krishna

Mango

Kurnool

Onion

Nellore

Citrus

Prakasam

Spices (Chilli and Turmeric)

Srikakulam

pib.gov.in

06 Dec, 2023 News Image

Mega Food Park Projects.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries has been implementing Mega Food Park Scheme (MFPS), a component scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY), to create modern infrastructure for the food processing sector along the value chain from farm to market. Under the scheme, Ministry has approved 41 Mega Food Park (MFP) projects. Out of this, 24 MFP projects are operational and remaining 17 projects are under implementation. State wise details of 41 MFP Projects including 24 operational projects along with their status of implementation is at Annexure.

However, the Ministry has incurred an expenditure of Rs. 21.25 crore during 21.01.2022 to 31.03.2022. Thus, total expenditure under Mega Food Park scheme during the ?nancial year 2021-22 was Rs. 52.59 crore against the revised estimate of Rs.54.37crore which is 96.72% of the revised allocated funds.

The Mega Food Park Scheme has, however, been discontinued w.e.f. 01.04.2021 with provision for committed liabilities only.

ANNEXURE

	SPV/IA	State/UT	District	Date of	Total	Amount	Amount	Status
	Name	Name	Name	Final	Project	Of Grant	Of Grant
				Approval	Cost	Approved	Released
S. No.					(INR in Cr)	(INR in Cr)	(INR in Cr)
1	Srini Food Park Pvt Ltd	Andhra Pradesh	Chittoor	30-Mar- 2009	121.1	49.92	49.92	Operational
2	Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park Pvt Ltd	Andhra Pradesh	West Godavari	16-Dec- 2013	pib.gov.in
06 Dec, 2023 PM Modi holds talks with Kenyan President Ruto; India to provide Kenya USD 250 mn line of credit for modernising agriculture. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India and Kenya will continue to explore new opportunities to realise the full potential of economic cooperation between two nations. He stressed that India has remained a trusted and committed development partner for Kenya. Addressing a joint press meet with Kenyan President William Ruto, Prime Minister Modi announced that India has decided to provide a line of credit of USD 250 million to Kenya for modernizing its agricutural sector. He said, 'As two agrarian economies, we agreed to share our experiences. To modernize agricultural sector of Kenya, we have also decided to provide a line of credit of USD 250 million.' 'Laying the foundation of a progressive future, today, we thought of strengthening our cooperation in all sectors and identified many new initiatives,' PM Modi said. 'We also note that mutual trade and investment between India and Kenya is making steady progress and we will continue to explore new opportunities to realize the full potential of our economic cooperation. India has been a trusted and committed development partner for Kenya. Through ITEC and ICCR scholarships, India has made a significant contribution in the skill development and capacity building of the people of Kenya,' the Prime Minister said. PM Modi made the remarks after his meeting with Kenyan President at Hyderabad House here. Five Memorandums of Understanding were exchanged following the discussions in a number of areas, including sports, Information Technology and education. PM Modi expressed happiness over Kenyan President’s visit to India after the inclusion of African Union in the G20. He said that Ruto’s visit will give a new boost to India’s relations with Kenya and the African Union. 'I am delighted that he (Kenyan President) is undertaking visit after the inclusion of African Union into the G20. Africa has always been given a high priority in India’s foreign policy. In about one decade in the past, we have increased our cooperation with Africa in mission mode. I believe that with this visit, our bilateral relations and the relations with the African continent would receive a new boost,' PM Modi said. Highlighting ties between India and Kenya, PM Modi said that the two nations are celebrating 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023. He stressed that India and Kenya have a common past and common future. PM Modi said, 'This year, we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Kenya. But, our relations have a history dating back thousands of years. The vast Indian Ocean, connecting Mumbai and Mombasa, has been a witness to our ancient relations. On this strong foundation, we have been moving forward together for centuries. In the last century, we together opposed colonialism. India and Kenya are countries that have a common past as well as a common future.' He noted that India and Kenya has agreed to increase its cooperation in technology and innovations. He said that India is ready to share India’s achievements in digital infrastructure with Kenya. He called clean energy main priority for both nations. 'According to the needs of modern times, we are increasing our cooperation in technology and innovations. We are fully ready to share India’s achievements in digital public infrastructure with Kenya. The agreement being reached today on this important subject will strengthen our efforts. Clean energy is the main priority of both the countries,' PM Modi said. He hailed Kenya for its African Climate Summit initiative and called it a 'commendable step.' He expressed happiness that Kenya has decided to join the Global Biofuels Alliance and the International Solar Alliance. 'The Africa climate summit initiative taken by Kenya is a very commendable step. This also shows the President’s commitment to unitedly face all global challenges. I am happy that Kenya has decided to join the Global Biofuel Alliance and the international solar alliance,' PM Modi said. He added that Kenya’s decision to join the International Big Cat Alliance will enable the strengthening of global efforts for the conservation of big cats. 'Our growing cooperation in the field of defence is a symbol of our deep mutual trust and common interests,' he said. PM Modi said that he and William Ruto discussed using space technology for public welfare. He stated that India and Kenya have agreed to continue their efforts to increase cooperation in all sectors. 'In today’s discussion, we emphasized on military exercises, capacity building as well as linking the defence industries of both the countries. We also discussed using space technology for public welfare. We agreed to share India’s successful experience with Kenya in this important area. In the spirit of this commitment and friendship, we will continue our efforts to increase our cooperation in all fields. He said, 'We discussed new global and regional issues. As countries connected to the Indian Ocean, maritime security, piracy and truck trafficking are matters of our common priority. To strengthen mutual cooperation in this important sector, India, Kenya to issue a joint vision statement on maritime cooperation.' Prime Minister said India and Kenya are unanimous that terrorism is the most serious challenge to humanity. Both nations have decided to increase mutual cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism. 'We are issuing a joint vision statement on Maritime Cooperation today. The close cooperation between India and Kenya will boost all our efforts in the Indo-Pacific Region. India and Kenya agree that terrorism is the gravest challenge to humankind. In this regard, we have decided to enhance our mutual cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism.' Earlier, Kenyan President William Ruto, who is in India on a state visit, paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial at Rajghat in New Delhi on Tuesday. Taking to X, the Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson stated, 'Paying homage to Mahatma. President @WilliamsRuto of Kenya laid a wreath at Rajghat and paid his respects to Mahatma Gandhi.' He was also accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. William Ruto also inspected a Guard of Honour. President Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi welcomed the Kenyan President at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Source: theprint.in
06 Dec, 2023 India, UK seek to wrap up trade talks before busy election year. India and the UK have begun crunch-time talks to secure a landmark free-trade deal, as leaders on both sides seek to resolve outstanding issues before they face election battles next year. A UK team — including Amanda Brooks, director general for trade negotiations, and Douglas McNeill, chief economic adviser to the prime minister — is in New Delhi this week for further talks, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. It’s the 13th round of negotiations on a deal intended to expand a trading relationship that was worth more than $24 billion last year. The UK Department for Business and Trade declined to comment on Monday. A spokesperson for India’s trade ministry didn’t respond to an email seeking further information. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a small window to clinch the deal between his big victory in state elections confirmed on Sunday and a nationwide vote next year. The trade deal, which has been under discussion for more than two years, would be India’s most ambitious, underscoring the country’s growing clout as the world’s most populous nation and fastest-growing major economy. The British premier, Rishi Sunak, is also looking for deeper ties to India to make good on the UK’s 2016 decision to leave the European Union. The ruling Conservatives are currently trailing the opposition Labour Party by some 20 percentage points in public opinion polls and Sunak has so far struggled to get the UK’s stagnant economy growing. Officials on both sides have for weeks pointed to December as the best time to wrap up negotiations. While the parties have softened their stance on issues such as scotch whisky and visas for professionals, a handful of topics — ranging from tariffs on electric vehicles to post-study visas for students — continue to hold up a deal. Here are some of the outstanding issues: Financial and Legal Services Indian officials see three sticking points in financial and legal services: The UK wants India to allow its portfolio managers and non-life insurance consultants to be able to operate in the South Asian country without having a permanent office there, people familiar with the discussions said. India wants them to have a commercial presence in the country to operate there. The UK wants the Modi government to remove a cap on the number of branches its banks can open in India. India restricts market access for foreign banks to 12 branches a year, in line with its commitments under the World Trade Organization. The UK also wants greater access for its law firms and legal professionals. Under current laws, foreign law firms in India can advise on international laws and work on corporate transactions such as mergers, but aren’t allowed to appear before Indian courts and tribunals. Rules of Origin There are some disagreements over rules of origin, which relate to the criteria that determine where a product is made. The UK is seeking lenient rules of origin for its medical devices and a few other items, according to people familiar with the discussions. India wants tighter rules to ensure that the benefits of the FTA are not exploited by other trading partners. Investment Treaty India and the UK are discussing a bilateral investment protection and promotion agreement to ensure investors get equitable and predictable treatment and have a mechanism for dispute resolution. The UK wants to include the issue of tax disputes in a proposed pact, although the details weren’t immediate clear. Britain’s request is shaped by bitter tax disputes faced by some of its firms that invested in India. Farm Goods The UK has sought easier market access for its farm goods such as apples and cheese — both of which are politically sensitive subjects in India, where farmers are a crucial voting bloc. For British rice millers, worries are also growing about India’s push to have tariffs on white rice reduced. The UK also wants protection for geographical indication tag products, according to reports in local media. GI products are distinctly identified based on their specific geographical origin. After receiving GI status, others can’t sell a similar item under the same name. Britain wants GI tags for its cheese, a proposal that India has resisted. The UK is also seeking a GI tag for its whisky, something that India doesn’t currently have. Electric Vehicles The UK wants a reduction in duties on electric vehicles exported to India. India has proposed a concessional tariff of 30% on 2,500 electric vehicles imported annually from the UK priced above $80,000. Britain has yet to agree to the proposal. Mobility and Social Security Pact India wants liberalized rules for post-study visas for young people studying in the UK, a politically difficult request for Sunak as he faces criticism for failing to curb surging migration. Post-study work visas allow students to look for work for up to three years after graduation. New Delhi also wants to reclaim around £8 million ($10 million) in payments made annually by Indian workers toward the UK’s social-security system. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
06 Dec, 2023 India and Oman begin talks on Free Trade Pact. India's exports to Oman could soon get duty concessions with the two sides having begun talks for a free trade agreement. Mineral fuels, inorganic chemicals, compounds of precious metals and iron and steel are India's top exports to Oman while oil, fertilisers and plastics are the top imports. Officials said that the negotiations will be fast tracked and the pact could be on similar lines as the one with the UAE. India's exports to Oman in April-September FY24 were $2 billion and imports were $2.1 billion. 'Discussions have started and the agreement would be a comprehensive one,' said an official. The government has identified petroleum products, gems and jewellery, engineering products, pharmaceuticals, cement and ceramic products, ready made textiles, and footwear as some goods with scope for more trade with Oman. India could also push for fast tracking the approval for Indian pharma products that are already registered by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), UK drug regulator MHRA and European Medicines Agency, similar to a provision in its trade pact with the UAE. Both Oman and the UAE are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council with which India aims to ink a trade pact. Besides duty concessions, the commerce and industry ministry is also analysing non-tariff barriers and product-specific rules as part of the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
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