India’s merchandise exports were up 6.2 per cent YoY in October 2023 and 2.4 per cent on YoY basis in Aug-Oct’23 period, recovering slightly ahead of the rest of Asia’s exports, said a report by ICICI Securities. South Korea’s exports grew by 5.1 per cent on-year in October 2023 after 13 consecutive months of contraction, while Taiwan’s exports declined only 2.8 per cent YoY in Aug-Oct’23, although they were down 12.8 per cent YoY in Jan-Oct’23. China, however, was a slight exception with its goods exports declining 8.2 per cent YoY in Aug-Oct’23, worse than its Jan-Oct’23 contraction of 5.2 per cent YoY, similar to India’s 4.9 per cent YoY decline for Jan-Oct’23. 

 

Prasenjit Basu and Laavanya Sisaudia, analysts and economists at ICICI Securities, said, 'Given the broad based cyclical rebound in engineering goods, textile and pharmaceutical exports, we expect India’s merchandise exports to accelerate further through the rest of FY24 and into FY25.'

 

Even as US import demand in Jan-Sep’23 weakened, it is now rebounding from its troughs even with the broad US economy weakening now, and this recovery in US and OECD demand will benefit Asia’s exports (including India’s). 

 

CAD to shrink to 0.4 per cent of GDP in FY24E

 

With services exports continuing to strongly outpace services imports, India’s services trade surplus expanded 21.7 per cent YoY in Apr-Oct’23. Further, since the merchandise deficit also declined by 12 per cent YoY, the current account deficit (CAD) is likely to have narrowed to about 0.7 per cent of GDP for the period, said ICICI Securities. 'The final quarter of the fiscal year is usually the strongest for the current account balance, so we expect the CAD to shrink to 0.4 per cent of GDP for FY24 – assuming that Brent crude oil averages $90/bbl in the Dec’23-Mar’24 period. Should Brent settle near its current levels (USD 80.5/bbl), a current account surplus will be the likely outcome in FY24,' the analysis report stated. 

 

Exports, imports likely to strengthen in FY25

 

With Asia’s economies strengthening and the US Fed beginning to ease monetary policy by mid-CY24, the merchandise export recovery is likely to gather pace, said ICICI Securities. Nonetheless, it added, a cyclical recovery in the global economy (other than China) will still result in mildly higher commodity prices. Given the likely strengthening of Indian import demand next year, the CAD is likely to remain slightly below 1 per cent of GDP in FY25 despite the expected rebound in exports.

 

Merchandise exports grow 2.4 per cent YoY in Aug-Oct’23, imports decline 1.8 per cent YoY and the trade deficit continues to shrink

 

India’s merchandise exports increased by 6.2 per cent YoY in Oct’23, only the second month of YoY growth in FY24 and the third in CY23. Merchandise exports grew 2.44 per cent YoY in the latest three months (Aug-Oct’23), but were still down 7 per cent YoY in Apr-Oct’23 (the first seven months of FY24) and down 4.9 per cent YoY in Jan-Oct’23. This, ICICI Securities sais, is marginally better than China’s merchandise exports, which declined 5.2 per cent YoY in Jan-Oct’23 (despite benefitting from a very low base due to the Mar-Apr’22 covid surge and lockdowns) and -7.7 per cent YoY for Apr-Oct’23, but were still down 8.2 per cent YoY for Aug-Oct’23. Taiwan’s exports declined 12.8 per cent YoY in Jan-Oct’23 (but were down only 2.8 per cent YoY in Aug-Oct’23), while South Korea’s exports declined 11.5 per cent YoY in Jan-Sep’23, but rebounded to grow 5.1 per cent YoY in Oct’23. Indonesia’s exports declined 10.7 per cent YoY in Jan-Oct’23 and declined a less severe 10.4 per cent YoY in Oct’23.

 

India’s imports rebounded strongly in Oct’23, growing 12.3 per cent YoY, primarily because of a near-doubling (+95.4 per cent YoY growth) in gold imports that month. India’s imports had contracted YoY in each of the previous eight months, so merchandise imports still declined 9 per cent YoY in Apr-Oct’23 (more than than the 7 per cent YoY decline in exports during the period), and the merchandise trade deficit declined by $20bn YoY in Apr-Oct’23.

 

Services exports grow at a modest pace

 

Based on the RBI data, India’s services exports grew 9.1 per cent YoY in Jul-Sep’23 (Q2FY24), while services imports declined 3.5 per cent YoY – compared with 6.2 per cent YoY and -1.2 per cent YoY respectively in Q1FY24. Including the Oct’23 estimates, the services trade surplus in Apr-Oct’23 widened by 21.7 per cent YoY, thus continuing to contribute to a YoY reduction of the current account deficit (CAD).

 

Engineering goods exports set for cyclical acceleration, while electronics sustain their strength

 

According to the ICICI Securities report, a clear cyclical rebound has begun in the key manufactured-export category of engineering goods. Oct’23 marked the third consecutive month of YoY growth in engineering-goods exports. Electronics exports have grown strongly for five of the past six years, and grew 28.2 per cent YoY in Oct’23 (slightly more than their 27.7 per cent YoY growth in Apr-Oct’23). Chemical exports declined marginally YoY, but are set to rebound as well.

 

Cotton textile exports accelerate sharply, synthetics resume growing

 

Cotton textiles began rebounding in Jul’23, and have accelerated notably in Aug-Sep’23 (+26.7 per cent YoY) and Oct’23 (+36.5 per cent YoY). Synthetic textiles also resumed growing in Oct’23 (+10.2 per cent YoY), but garment exports were still contracting. 

 

Pharma exports strengthen; refinery, jewellery past their cyclical trough

 

The pharmaceutical sector has seen steady export growth over the past eight years, and accelerated to 29.3 per cent YoY growth in Oct’23 – taking their growth for Apr-Oct’23 to 8.1 per cent YoY. Petroleum product exports, however, still declined 4.65 per cent YoY in Oct’23 (and -16.2 per cent% YoY in Apr-Oct’23), while jewellery exports declined 9.8 per cent YoY in Oct’23, and 22.3 per cent YoY in Apr-Oct’23. Yet both are well past their cyclical trough and close to resuming at least modest growth, the ICICI Securities analysis stated.

New season basmati rice prices in India have surged this year due to robust demand from the world's top buyers in the Middle East and Europe, forcing bulk buyers in wholesale grain markets to pay 10% to 15% more than last year.

 

Last month's decision to cut a floor price for basmati rice exports to $950 a ton from $1,200 a ton has spurred a flurry of export contracts, boosting demand and pushing up prices in most wholesale markets of top grain growing states, farmers said.

 

This month, Reuters reported that India signed contracts to export about 500,000 metric tons of new season basmati rice, indicating brisk overseas sales of the premium aromatic variety.

 

Wholesale prices of one of the top basmati rice varieties have jumped to around 50,000 rupees ($599.93) a ton, up from 45,000 rupees a ton last year, said Sukrampal Beniwal, a basmati rice grower from the northern state of Haryana.

 

Prices of some other varieties have touched 46,000 rupees a ton against last year's 40,000 rupees, he said.

 

'Rice millers and exporters are flocking to wholesale markets to buy basmati from us to meet their export obligations and it looks like demand is likely to be strong,' Beniwal said.

 

Households, especially in urban areas, are spending 20% to 40% more on their basmati rice consumption, according to the latest survey by Local Circles, a New Delhi-based consultancy.

 

India annually exports more than 4 million tons of basmati - a premium long-grain variety famed for its aroma - to Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, among others.

 

Europe is another big market for the rice.

 

India in July imposed a ban on non-basmati white rice exports to stabilize domestic prices and later set the floor price for basmati rice exports.

The centuries-old India-UAE trade relationship has taken flight and diversified into an unbelievable expanse of opportunities, creating solutions that are inclusive and have the global good in mind, the Indian envoy here has said. The Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Sunjay Sudhir's comments came ahead of India Global Forum's annual event in Dubai on November 27.

 

Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman will deliver a keynote speech at the event's inauguration.

Under the theme 'Unleashing Ambitions,' the 3rd edition of the event will have an expanded purview beyond the India-UAE partnership, encompassing a broader geographical perspective with the IGF Middle East and Africa 2023 (IGF ME&A) Programme.

Looking forward to the forum, Sudhir said, 'In today's world, the India-UAE strategic partnership stands tall. The centuries-old trade relationship has taken flight and diversified into an unbelievable expanse of opportunities.'

'It is based on the principle of mutual growth and development, taking pride in each other's successes, and creating solutions that are inclusive and have the global good in mind,' he said.

 

The IGF ME&A convenes business leaders, policymakers, and thought leaders from India, UAE and Africa to discuss opportunities for further collaboration and growth between these regions through a series of exclusive networking opportunities, panel discussions, and keynote speeches.

These cover a range of topics, including trade, investment, innovation, technology, climate change and sustainability.

Sitharaman will deliver her address to the assembly virtually, followed by an interactive question-and-answer session.

 

Manoj Ladwa, Founder and Chairman of the IGF, said, 'This year's theme, 'Unleashing Ambitions,' sets the tone for discussions that transcend geographical boundaries and fosters an environment where India, Middle East and Africa can converge their strengths and leverage each other's expertise and resources to pioneer a new era of collaboration.'

'IGF ME&A will be the catalyst for this collaboration and showcase the limitless opportunities presented by the Global South,' he said.

The event comes against the backdrop of the UAE-India partnership scaling newer heights.

Bilateral trade between India and the UAE has seen significant growth, registering a year-on-year increase of 16 per cent to reach USD 85 billion in the April 2022-March 2023 period and a target of achieving USD 100 billion in non-oil trade by 2030.

The bilateral relationship is acquiring newer dimensions, with the two countries joining hands to support investments and development projects in Africa.

The event will feature over 150 speakers and more than 1,000 participants.

Key speakers include Minister of Environment, Bhupender Yadav, Minister of State Electronics & IT, Dr Rajeev Chandrasekhar, UAE's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Patricia Scotland, Gujarat Minister of State Home, Industries, Harsh Sanghavi, and Nikhil Kamath, Co-Founder of Zerodha.

Other speakers include Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO of Paytm, and Gaur Gopal Das, an Indian monk and author. The Group CEO of Airtel Money, Ian Ferrao, and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation CEO, Kate Hampton, will also speak at the event.

 

Production of milk, egg and meat has significantly increased in 2022-23 over the past five years, though wool output during the same period has witnessed a negative growth, says a report released by Union minister Parshottam Rupala here on Sunday. The Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2023 report, which was released by the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying during National Milk Day event here, is based on the Animal Integrated Sample Survey (March 2022 to February 2023).

 

The survey is conducted across the country in three seasons, summer (March-June), monsoon (July-October) and winter (November-February).

 

The country's total milk production is estimated at 230.58 million tonnes in 2022-23, registering a growth of 22.81 per cent compared to the figures of 2018-19 when the output was 187.75 million tonnes.

 

According to the report, the production increased by 3.83 per cent in 2022-23 over the estimates of 2021-22. The annual growth rates in the past few years were 6.47 per cent in 2018-19, 5.69 per cent in 2019-20, 5.81 per cent in 2020-21 and 5.77 per cent in 2021-22.

 

The top milk-producing state in 2022-23 was Uttar Pradesh with a share of 15.72 per cent, followed by Rajasthan (14.44 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (8.73 per cent), Gujarat (7.49 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (6.70 per cent).

 

In terms of annual growth rate (AGR), Karnataka with 8.76 per cent topped the list, followed by West Bengal (8.65 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (6.99 per cent) over the previous year.

 

Total egg production has been estimated at 138.38 billion units during 2022-23, registering a growth of 33.31 per cent compared to 2018-19 figures when production was 103.80 billion units.

 

It has increased annually by 6.77 per cent during 2022-23 over 2021-22. The annual growth rate was 9.02 per cent in 2018-19, 10.19 per cent in 2019-20, 6.70 per cent in 2020-21 and 6.19 per cent in 2021-22.

 

Andhra Pradesh topped the list in egg production with a share of 20.13 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu (15.58 per cent), Telangana (12.77 per cent), West Bengal (9.94 per cent) and Karnataka (6.51 per cent).

 

In terms of AGR, the highest growth rate was recorded by West Bengal (20.10 per cent) followed by Sikkim (18.93 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (12.80 per cent).

 

The total meat production in the country is estimated at 9.77 million tonnes during 2022-23, a growth of 20.39 per cent compared to 2018-19 figures when output was 8.11 million tonnes.

 

The production has increased by 5.13 per cent in 2022-23 over 2021-22. The previous growth rates were 5.99 per cent in 2018-19, 5.98 per cent in 2019-20, 2.30 per cent in 2020-21 and 5.62 per cent in 2021-22.

 

Uttar Pradesh was the major meat production contributor with 12.20 per cent share, followed by West Bengal (11.93 per cent), Maharashtra (11.50 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (11.20 per cent) and Telangana (11.06 per cent).

 

In terms of AGR, Sikkim recorded the highest with 63.08 per cent, followed by Meghalaya (38.34 per cent) and Goa (22.98 per cent).

 

The total wool production in the country is estimated at 33.61 million kg during 2022-23, registering a negative growth of 16.84 per cent compared to 2018-19 when output was 40.42 million kg.

 

However, the production has increased by 2.12 per cent in 2022-23 over 2021-22.

 

The earlier growth rates were -2.51 per cent in 2018-19, -9.05 per cent in 2019-20, -0.46 per cent in 2020-21 and -10.87 per cent in 2021-22.

 

Rajasthan tops wool production with a share of 47.98 per cent, followed by Jammu & Kashmir (22.55 per cent), Gujarat (6.01 per cent), Maharashtra (4.73 per cent) and Himachal Pradesh (4.27 per cent).

 

The highest AGR has been recorded by Arunachal Pradesh (35.75 per cent), followed by Rajasthan (6.06 per cent) and Jharkhand (2.36 per cent).

New season basmati rice prices in India have surged this year due to robust demand from the world's top buyers in the Middle East and Europe, forcing bulk buyers in wholesale grain markets to pay 10 per cent to 15 per cent more than last year.

Last month's decision to cut a floor price for basmati rice exports to $950 a tonne from $1,200 a tonne has spurred a flurry of export contracts, boosting demand and pushing up prices in most wholesale markets of top grain growing states, farmers said.

 

This month, Reuters reported that India signed contracts to export about 500,000 metric tonnenes of new season basmati rice, indicating brisk overseas sales of the premium aromatic variety.

 

Wholesale prices of one of the top basmati rice varieties have jumped to around 50,000 rupees ($599.93) a tonne, up from 45,000 rupees a tonne last year, said Sukrampal Beniwal, a basmati rice grower from the northern state of Haryana.

Prices of some other varieties have touched 46,000 rupees a tonne against last year's 40,000 rupees, he said.

'Rice millers and exporters are flocking to wholesale markets to buy basmati from us to meet their export obligations and it looks like demand is likely to be strong,' Beniwal said.

Households, especially in urban areas, are spending 20 per cent to 40 per cent more on their basmati rice consumption, according to the latest survey by Local Circles, a New Delhi-based consultancy.

 

India annually exports more than 4 million tonnes of basmati - a premium long-grain variety famed for its aroma - to Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, among others.

Europe is another big market for the rice.

India in July imposed a ban on non-basmati white rice exports to stabilize domestic prices and later set the floor price for basmati rice exports.

The International Nutri Cereal Convention 5.0 has mooted a Nasscom-like organisation for the millet ecosystem to steer it over the next decade. 

 

The two-day event, which attracted key players in the ecosystem from India and abroad, decided to come out with a Hyderabad Declaration to help the ecosystem mainstream millets well beyond 2023.

 

Delivering the Presidential address at the valedictory here on Tuesday, T R Sharma, Deputy Director-General (Crop Science) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), said collaborations between various stakeholders hold the key for mainstreaming millets in the food system.

 

Stating that there was a remarkable progress in (seed) varietal development and technologies to facilitate value addition in millets, he said a lot needed to be done. 'We need to invest in research and development and processing technologies and work on strategies to increase exports,' he said.

 

'We need a 10-year roadmap to develop the millet ecosystem. We need to create a more enabling environment,' he said.

 

Promote value-addition

VP Sharma, Chairman of CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices), said issues such as fall in the area of millets and not so encouraging returns to the farmers growing millets were the key concerns. 'We need to increase the productivity and production. Besides the minimum support prices, we should ensure additional revenues by promoting value addition. Also, working on improved varieties and promoting institutions, we need to incentivising the farmers more so that they will grow more millets,' he said.

 

B Dayakar Rao, Chief Executive Officer of IIMR-Nutrihub, said a Hyderabad Declaration was being prepared in association with various stakeholders to give millets a further push. 'It will give a broad roadmap for the millet sector for the next 10 years,' he said.

 

Tamil history examples

Tara Satyavathi, Director of ICAR-IIMR (Indian Institute of Millets Research), said a plan of action would be prepared based on the deliberations of the two-day conference.

 

Tamilisai Soundarajan, Governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry, gave away the awards to start-ups, entrepreneurs and Odisha Government for their contribution to the ecosystem.

 

Addressing the gathering later, she cited the examples from Tamil history and culture where millets were used by the warriors for strength. 'You will continue to be ‘little’ (young) if you eat little millets,' she said, relating a Tamil saying.

 

'Millets are good for both the months-old chidren to the elderly,' she said.

The government plans to sharply increase its procurement of tur dal from a few metric tonnes to around 8-10 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) to keep prices of the commodity under control in a year when the acreage under the pulse has shrunk and production is expected to be low, said a senior official.

 

The all India retail price of tur dal jumped over 40% from Rs 112 per kg last year to Rs 158 per kg this year, according to government data.

 

Retail inflation in pulses as a category rose to 18.79% year-on-year in October mainly due to a sharp spike in prices of tur, chana and moong, against 6.61% food inflation in the same month. This is despite the government’s effort to increase the imports from African nations and Burma by scrapping the import duty on tur in March.

 

The procurement will happen through the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) at market rates, which is much higher than the minimum support price (MSP), the official said, asking not to be identified.

 

The purchase will be done through the procuring agencies – National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF) – directly from the farmers and will begin right at the start of the season when the kharif crop starts coming to the market, the official said.

 

The production of tur is estimated at 34.21 LMT, which is slightly less than last year’s output, according to the first advance estimate released by the ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare in October.

 

'This will send a message to the farmers that there is a definite buyer in the market, encouraging them to plant more tur in the years to come,' the official said, adding that an increase in area will eventually help in reducing import dependence.

Due to heavy reliance on imports, countries like Mozambique and Burma are dictating terms, causing disruption in the supply of the dal, which is amongst the most consumed pulse in the country.

 

The acreage under tur shrunk 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 46.13 lakh hectares on September 29, 2022 to 43.87 lakh hectares on September 29, 2023, according to government’s data.

Exports of soyabean meal from India in the oil year 2022-23 that ended in September jumped more than double to 18.4 lakh tonne amid a pick up in demand from South East Asian countries, a trade body said in a release issued on Monday.

Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, Kuwait, Iran and the United States of America were the major buyers of Indian origin soyabean meal in the 2022-23oil year.

 

The oil year runs from October to September.

The country had exported 6.44 lakh tonne soyabean meal in the 2021-22 season.

'Export of soyabean meal from India in the oil year 2022-23 stood at 18.4 lakh tonne, more than double from the last season’s export,' said DN Pathak, executive director, Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA).

 

Madhya Pradesh is a leading soyabean producing state contributing over 60 per cent to the national output.

Exports in the new oil year started on a higher note with 1 lakh tonne recorded in October, 2023, the note from the trade body showed. The country had exported 49,000 tonne soyabean meal in October last year.

An exporter from Indore, wishing not to be named said, 'We eye to lock good deals this season because the crop was good barring some quality issues reported in some pockets of the state due to untimely rainfall. Local exporters are trying to lock deals with Iran and other South East Asian countries'.

 

Myanmar exports to China increasingly difficult due to conflict

Myanmar traders are concerned about the conflict in northern Shan State, forcing them to rely on the Mongla gateway into China. The town is controlled by the NDAA, an ethnic armed group. Border crossings to China have been closed since the anti-junta offensive began. Traders now face a dangerous and lengthy journey to the border, in addition to higher taxes on goods. Border trade has almost entirely halted due to the military coup, with Thailand being the only significant trading partner.

Ukraine needs more air defences to protect grain exports

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy addressed the need for more air defences to protect grain export routes and regions bordering Russia at a food security summit in Kyiv. He highlighted the deficit of air defence, especially after Russia's recent drone attack. Zelenskyy mentioned agreements with foreign partners to supply vessels for convoy security. The European Commission pledged 50 million euros for infrastructure repairs in Ukraine's ports. Zelenskyy expressed hope in solving the air defence shortage through new supplies and increased production capacity. He also discussed the challenges caused by trucker protests at Ukraine's borders.

Russia lifts temporary ban on diesel exports

Russia lifts temporary ban on diesel exports, successful in bringing down rising fuel prices. The ban had roiled global markets. Removal of restrictions follows lifting of suspension on gasoline exports. Russian pump prices surge over the summer, contributing to rise in domestic inflation.

It is a good turnaround to witness in the millet ecosystem. The production of millets, which were hardly seen on the menus till two decades ago, has been fast overtaken by the demand for these 'nutri-cereals' or 'Shree Anna' as they are referred to of late. 'As of today, India requires 40 per cent more millets than what it produces now. There is a huge demand for the 'nutri-cereals' thanks to the increased awareness,' B Dayakar Rao, CEO of IIMR-Nutri Hub, said.

 

At a time when the world is looking at India for the export of millets, the country needs to find a way to expand the area to non-traditional areas to increase productionto meet the demand from domestic and international markets. 

 

Output-offtake disconnect

Addressing the fifth edition of the International Nutri Cereal Convention, which began here on Monday, he said the country produced about 20 million tonnes. 'But the demand is so huge that we need to find non-traditional areas to grow millets,' he said.

 

'There had been a disconnect between production and consumption. Now that the country can achieve some connection through sustained efforts, the demand has gone up,' he said.

 

Citing reports of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), he said the institute was pitching for the replacement of at least 30 per cent of the cereals with nutri-cereals on the regular menu of the citizens.

 

Focus on high-yielding varieties

The two-day convention, which attracted about 850 delegates from India and abroad, will deliberate on various aspects of the ecosystem and come out with a Hyderabad Declaration to take the millet movement well beyond 2023.

 

Delivering her keynote address, C Tara Satyavathi, Director of IIMR, spoke about the technologies to increase productivity and production of millets. 'There has been a significant improvement in varieties and hybrids. As many as 262 varietal technologies have been released so far. We need to focus on releasing high-yielding varieties,' she said.

 

DJ Yadava, Additional Director General (Seeds) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, (ICAR), said there had been a tremendous improvement in yield and availability of varieties. 'For the nine varieties of millets, we have over 220 different varieties. The availability of seeds too has gone up significantly over the years. From about 4.5 lakh tonnes(lt) a year till a few years ago, we have reached a capacity of 8 lt now. We can ramp up the production as the demand for millets goes up,' he said.

 

Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, Deputy Director General (ICAR-National Resource Management), however, called for a focussed approach rather than promoting all millets in all areas. 'We need to map the hotspots and promote the relevant millets,' he said.

International Nutri Cereal Conference 5.0 was inaugurated on 27th November 2023 at HICC, Hyderabad and welcomed by Dr.B DayakarRao, CEO, Nutrihub, ICAR- IIMR. Dr. Tara satyavati, Director, ICAR- IIMR have given initial remarks about IYoM 2023 and INCC and highlighted activities was carried out by ICAR-IIMR in production, processing, value addition and marketing of millets and also emphasized on role of Nutrihub in promotion of millets startups throughout India.

 

The inaugural session was attended by distinguished guests from FAO, ICRISAT, ICAR, IIMR and WFP India. Shri. Takayuki Hagiwara, FAO representative in India have attended as a Chief Guest for INCC 5.0.

 

APEDA has built up a stall in the exhibition pavilion and displayed various types of millets and value added products of APEDA registered startups and exporters. Dr Tarun Bajaj, Director, APEDA inaugurated the APEDA stall.

 

In the event, ICAR-IIMR appreciated APEDA’s initiatives in promotion of global Millets ( Shree Anna) in the International market and awarded APEDA and felicitated Dr Tarun Bajaj, Director with Life Time Achievement award in the 5th INCC, Hyderabad.

 

The two day international conference will have various technical sessions and panel discussions on the global Millets (Shree Anna).

 

In the technical session of APEDA on Mainstreaming Millet Exports, Sri. Man Prakash Vijay, DGM,  Co-chaired the session and deliberated on Promotion of Indian Millets and shared opportunities in export of millets and  answered the queries raised by exporters during the interaction.