The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has started a comprehensive inspection initiative across the entire state targeting cold storages holding various food items. The inspection was taken up after being instructed by Dharamraobaba Atram, Minister of Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra, and Abhimanyu Kale, Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration.

 

Recently a raid was conducted in Thane Zone - 4, as Food Safety Officials (FSOs) inspected Amar Universal Pvt. Ltd. The raid was led by FSO B C Vasave along with FSO P S Pawar, S S Khatawkar, and I N Chilwante, the operation resulted in the confiscation of 287,851 kilogram of various food items. The estimated value of the seized goods amounted to Rs 30,674,960.

 

Gaurav Jagatap, assistant commissioner (Food), Food and Drug Administration, Thane, said, 'The action was initiated due to concerns over unlabelled, misbranded, and potentially substandard products. Chavli, Rajama and Almond Kernel are expired and Star Aniseed suspected  to be substandard.'

 

The range of seized food articles comprised of substantial quantity of Chavli, with variations including 3,764 kg (Rs 311,600), 2,452 kg (Rs 6,899,600), 1,805 kg (Rs 5,126,600), 2,232 kg (Rs 11,992,100), and 6,864 kg (Rs 3,367,100). Additionally, Rajama weighing 5,933 kg (Rs 514,760) was among the seized items. Furthermore, Almond Kernel (95,738 kg) valued at Rs 222,200 and Star Aniseed (4,264 kg) worth Rs 2,373,000 were confiscated.

Egg stock levels in South Africa are replenishing steadily, and the government is continuing to process import permit applications for products to ensure sufficient supplies ahead of the festive season.

 

This follows the recent outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that led to egg shortages in some parts of the country after 7.5 million chickens had to be culled to curb the spread of the disease.

 

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) said in a statement on Thursday that it has a few open import permits for eggs and poultry products from several countries.

 

It added that the importation of table eggs, fertilised eggs, pasteurised eggs, egg powder and liquid eggs has been ongoing for many years.

 

'Countries including Brazil, USA and Argentina have been exporting eggs to South Africa for quite some time, and the department is currently processing import permit applications from a few more countries,' the DALRRD said.

 

'The department does not dictate which countries should make business sense for South African retailers to import eggs from. It only ensures that biosecurity risk assessments are conducted when importers apply for import permits.'

 

Agriculture minister Thoko Didiza said the HPAI outbreak is under control, and 70% of farms that were not infected continue to produce eggs and chickens.

 

'Since the egg production cycle is not too long, we expect the situation to normalise early next year.

 

'We will continue to import more eggs should the situation not improve,' Didiza said.

 

The department said South Africa had imported nine million fertilised eggs, 37 802 tonnes of day-old chicks, 62 tonnes of egg products and 30 986 tonnes of poultry meat ahead of the festive season.

 

'We have increased fertilised eggs from 1.9 million to nine million in less than one month.

 

These eggs will be chickens in less than four months,' Didiza said.

Companies exporting rice, white goods and polymer from India to the Persian Gulf have got a leg up from a proposal to construct a warehouse in the UAE.

 

The Singapore-headquartered transportation solutions enterprise, BoxcoWorld FZE recently inked a memorandum of understanding with Dubai-based global maritime major DP World to invest $28 million to construct a modern warehouse in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, a free trade zone in the UAE. The deal was signed by Abdulla Al Hashmi, COO of Parks & Zones, DP World, UAE Region, and Vir Kotak, Founder of BoxcoWorld.

 

DP World is an multinational logistics company specialising in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free trade zones. BoxcoWorld FZE specialises in comprehensive multimodal logistics solutions. It has presence in Ahmedabad, Amsterdam, Delhi, Dubai, Houston Mumbai and Singapore; and is planning to increase warehousing presence in GCC countries (especially Saudi Arabia and Oman), East Africa and the United States.

 

Explaining how Boxco aims to use Dubai’s logistical advantages to enhance Indian firms’ access to international markets, Kotak says the proposed facility will 'serve as an ideal destination' for Indian firms to efficiently manage their import and export cargo with minimal delays when connecting to and from vessels. He asserts the company’s warehousing investment in the UAE (and other GCC countries) will greatly help rice, white goods and polymer exporters from India. 'These warehouses would act as distribution centres for these exporters to the whole of the GCC region. We will also be able to leverage the recent free trade agreement between India and the UAE, which will help to boost bilateral trade between the countries. One of the G20 summit outcomes was the announcement of the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor, which will provide a reliable and cost-effective ship-to-rail transit network between India, the Middle East and Europe. As a result, there is a tremendous boost to the potential robustness of trade in the region.'

 

The proposed industrial bloc, which will have a throughput of approximately 15,000 TEUs, will also offer sorting and repackaging services for imported waste paper, primarily from the USA and Europe. The waste paper will be re-exported to markets in the Indian subcontinent and Far East Asian regions after sorting and repackaging. It will also have 40,000 cubic metres of robotic racking system for polymers — the first of its kind in the GCC. Robotic racking enables optimisation of warehousing space.

 

Boxco says the facility will foster closer relationships with clients, enabling the company to gain a deeper understanding of specific customer needs and challenges in the import, export and trading sectors.

 

The UAE is a hub for re-export and transhipment. JAFZA plays a key role in trade in this region as it houses over 9,000 companies from around the world, and serves over 3.5 billion people globally by connecting directly to 150 ports. The zone is well-connected to the Al Maktoum International Airport and Jebel Ali Port, ensuring efficient transportation of goods.

After mango, fresh green vegetables and other agricultural products, now Purvanchal's marigold flower will spread its fragrance in the Gulf market. The first consignment of 400 kg of marigold flowers from east UP left for UAE from Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport on Wednesday.

The consignment was flagged off virtually by chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Abhishek Dev.

The APEDA's deputy general manager CB Singh told TOI, that, 'Working in close collaboration with the ministry of commerce & industry, Government of India APEDA's initiatives had resulted in landlocked Purvanchal region as a new destination of agri-export activities. Farm Producer Organisers promoted in the region had started exporting green chilly and other fresh vegetables, Banarasi Langda Mango, banana plant products and others.'

'Now, marigold of Purvanchal was exported on Wednesday to the UAE market', said Singh explaining how APEDA's regional wing in Varanasi coordinated with the FPO and linked them with exporters for grounding the shipment smoothly to UAE. This consignment of marigold was exported by a Varanasi-based FPO.

Packed in 200 boxes, only 400 kg of marigold flower occupied the entire cargo space in which three-four tonnes of green vegetable are exported to Gulf market from Varanasi airport, said Singh adding, the marigold cultivators of region are currently getting Rs 40-Rs 50 per kg of this product in local market while the consignment had been export at the rate of Rs 60 per kg. The Purvanchal region with Varanasi in its centre had negligible agri-exports due to lack of basic infrastructure, recalled Singh adding that after establishing an office in Varanasi in 2020 with support from the UP government APEDA, apart from mobilising farmers and forming FPOs, also made sustained efforts to boost export oriented farm production in east UP region. 'Now, the region is abuzz with activities which have given a boost to exports', he added.

 

India has signed contracts to export about 500,000 metric tons of new season basmati rice to cash in on robust demand from top buyers in Europe and the Middle East, traders said on Wednesday.

 

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.

 

After imposing a ban on non-basmati white rice exports in June to stabilize domestic prices, India set a floor price, or minimum export price (MEP), of $1,200 a ton for overseas sales of basmati in August.

 

However, as the floor price hampered exports of the premium variety and saddled farmers with large stocks of new-season rice, the government last month cut the floor price for basmati exports to $950 per ton.

 

Trade came to a standstill after the August decision, but the lowering of the floor price has breathed new life into basmati rice trade, the traders said.

 

'There’s been a great deal of interest in India’s new basmati rice crop and so far we have signed export contracts for around 500,000 tonnes,' said Prem Garg, president of the Indian Rice Exporters Federation.

 

'Normally we start getting orders for the new crop in September and October but the MEP of $1,200 a metric ton made it difficult for us to sign any deals,' he said.

 

Indian traders have signed basmati export deals between $1,000 and $1,500 a metric ton, two exporters including Garg said.

 

Turkey, Iraq and Saudi Arabia are top buyers of the rice so far this year, aid Vijay Setia, a leading exporter from Haryana, a top basmati rice producing state in the north.

 

'Despite the MEP of $950 a metric ton, it looks like we’ll be able to export our usual annual volume of around 4 million metric tons,' Garg said.

India and the UK are not working under any deadline for the conclusion of negotiations for a free trade agreement as both sides are discussing issues that are 'slightly' complex in nature, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that the two countries are working to finalise the issues as early as possible.

 

'We are not working (under) any deadlines...because there are issues which are of slightly complex in nature and which have economic significance for both the countries,' he told reporters here.

 

'So we are looking at those issues much more carefully...so there is no deadline as such, we are working under timelines,' he added.

 

Joint Secretary in the commerce ministry and India's chief negotiator for the pact, Nidhi Mani Tripathi, said that the two sides continue to discuss the 'outstanding issues' which remained unresolved.

 

'At all levels, there have been continuous exchanges to iron out differences and we intend to close as many as issues quickly,' she said.

 

So far 13 rounds of talks have been completed.

 

Issues which are under negotiation include social security pact, automobiles, medical devices, movement of professionals; rules of origin; intellectual property rights (IPRs); duty concessions on electric vehicles, scotch whiskey, lamb meat, chocolates; and liberalisation of norms in services sectors like banking and insurance.

 

India wants a social security agreement (SSA) under the FTA. The agreement would ensure that employers are saved from making double social security contributions for the same set of employees (posted in other countries). Besides, the employees would also be saved from making double social security contributions.

 

Talks are also progressing on the proposed bilateral investment treaty (BIT).

 

The investment treaty is being negotiated as a separate agreement between India and the UK. These investment treaties help in promoting and protecting investments in each other's country. The main point of contention involved in this pact is about the mechanism for the settlement of disputes.

 

India and the UK launched the talks for free-trade agreement (FTA) in January 2022, with an aim to conclude talks by Diwali (October 24, 2022), but the deadline was missed due to political developments in the UK.

 

There are 26 chapters in the agreement, which include goods, services, investments and intellectual property rights.

 

The Indian industry is demanding greater access for its skilled professionals from sectors like IT, and healthcare in the UK market, besides market access for several goods at nil customs duties.

 

On the other hand, the UK is seeking a significant cut in import duties on goods such as scotch whiskey, automobiles, lamb meat, chocolates and certain confectionary items.

 

Britain is also looking for more opportunities for UK services in Indian markets in segments like telecommunications, legal and financial services (banking and insurance).

 

The bilateral trade between India and the UK increased to USD 20.36 billion in 2022-23 from USD 17.5 billion in 2021-22.

 

The 'rules of origin' provision prescribes minimal processing that should happen in the FTA country so that the final manufactured product may be called originating goods in that country.

 

Under this provision, a country that has inked an FTA with India cannot dump goods from some third country in the Indian market by just putting a label on it. It has to undertake a prescribed value addition in that product to export to India. Rules of origin norms help contain the dumping of goods.

 

On broad-basing the existing free trade agreement with Australia, Joint Secretary in the ministry, Darpan Jain said that the eighth round of talks is expected in the first week of December.

 

'Negotiations are going at a fast pace ... we are also having exploratory discussions on 14 new areas such as competition, MSME, and gender...and we have reached a convergence on many of these areas like sports, labour environment, MSME, and traditional knowledge,' he said.

 

He added that both countries are intended to convert them into formal tracks as soon as possible.

 

On trade pact with Latin American nation Peru, the ministry said that the sixth round of talks is expected in December.

 

Similarly, with Sri Lanka, the next round of negotiations on a free trade agreement is scheduled early January next year.

After mango, fresh green vegetables and other agricultural products, now Purvanchal's marigold flower will spread its fragrance in the Gulf market. The first consignment of 400 kg of marigold flowers from east UP left for UAE from Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport on Wednesday.

The consignment was flagged off virtually by chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Abhishek Dev.

 

The APEDA's deputy general manager CB Singh told TOI, that, 'Working in close collaboration with the ministry of commerce & industry, Government of India APEDA's initiatives had resulted in landlocked Purvanchal region as a new destination of agri-export activities. Farm Producer Organisers promoted in the region had started exporting green chilly and other fresh vegetables, Banarasi Langda Mango, banana plant products and others.'

'Now, marigold of Purvanchal was exported on Wednesday to the UAE market', said Singh explaining how APEDA's regional wing in Varanasi coordinated with the FPO and linked them with exporters for grounding the shipment smoothly to UAE. This consignment of marigold was exported by a Varanasi-based FPO.

Packed in 200 boxes, only 400 kg of marigold flower occupied the entire cargo space in which three-four tonnes of green vegetable are exported to Gulf market from Varanasi airport, said Singh adding, the marigold cultivators of region are currently getting Rs 40-Rs 50 per kg of this product in local market while the consignment had been export at the rate of Rs 60 per kg. The Purvanchal region with Varanasi in its centre had negligible agri-exports due to lack of basic infrastructure, recalled Singh adding that after establishing an office in Varanasi in 2020 with support from the UP government APEDA, apart from mobilising farmers and forming FPOs, also made sustained efforts to boost export oriented farm production in east UP region. 'Now, the region is abuzz with activities which have given a boost to exports', he added.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 'Enhancing Innovation Ecosystems through an Innovation Handshake' under the framework of India – U.S. Commercial Dialogue was signed between the two countries on the 14th of November 2023 in San Francisco. The leaders’ Joint Statement during the historic official State Visit of Prime Minister in June 2023 announced the establishment of the 'Innovation Handshake'.

 

The MoU was signed at the kick-off industry roundtable titled, 'Decoding the 'Innovation Handshake': U.S. – India Entrepreneurship Partnership' in San Francisco. At the event, co-hosted by the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and supported by National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) and Startup India, CEOs from major ICT companies, executives from venture capital firms, and founders of startups in the critical and emerging technology space discussed how to enhance U.S.-India technology collaboration.

 

The MoU is signed with the objective to connect the two sides’ dynamic startup ecosystems, address specific regulatory hurdles to cooperation, share information and best practices for startup fundraising and promote innovation and job growth, particularly in critical and emerging technologies (CET) as identified under India -U.S. initiative for Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).

 

The MoU signals a joint commitment to strengthen the startup ecosystem in deep tech sectors and promote cooperation in Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET). It is poised to positively impact economic activity, attract investment, and generate employment, especially in start-ups working in CET areas. The scope of cooperation would include a series of India- U.S. Innovation Handshake events, including hackathon and 'Open Innovation' programs, information sharing and other activities.

 

The announcement laid the groundwork for two future Innovation Handshake events scheduled to take place in India and the United States in early 2024, which include an investment forum aimed toward helping U.S. and Indian startup companies take their innovative ideas and products to market and a 'hackathon' in Silicon Valley where U.S. and Indian startups will pitch ideas and technologies to help address global economic challenges.

 

This momentous step signifies the commitment of both nations towards fostering innovation, creating opportunities, and promoting mutual growth in the dynamic field of emerging technologies. The "Innovation Handshake" sets the stage for a new era of collaboration between the United States and India.

 

The Commercial Dialogue (CD) is a cooperative undertaking at Ministerial level between India and the U.S. to facilitate regular discussion to deepen ties between business communities, encompassing regular government-to-government meetings to be held in conjunction with private sector meetings, with an aim to facilitate trade, and maximize investment opportunities across a broad range of economic sectors.

 

The 5th India-U.S. Commercial Dialogue was held on 10th March 2023 during the visit of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo between 8-10 March. At the meeting the Commercial Dialogue was re-launched with strategic focus on supply chain resiliency, climate and clean technology cooperation, advancing inclusive digital economy, and facilitating post-pandemic economic recovery especially for SMEs and startups.

 

It included launch of a new Working Group on Talent, Innovation and Inclusive Growth (TIIG) under the Commercial Dialogue. It was noted that this Working Group would also support efforts of Startups working towards goals of iCET, particularly in identifying specific regulatory hurdles to cooperation and fostering greater connectivity between our innovation ecosystems with focus on start-ups through specific ideas for joint activities.

Nigeria is projected to import 2.1 million metric tons of rice in 2024, which may make the country the top rice buyer globally. 

 

This is according to the latest Rice Outlook report by the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

 

The report notes that global rice trade will hit about 52.85 million tons (milled basis) by 2024, with more exports expected from Brazil and South Korea, and more imports expected from Burkina Faso, Indonesia, and Nigeria. 

 

It read: 

 

'Global rice trade in the calendar year 2024 is projected at 52.85 million tons (milled basis), up 345,000 tons from the previous forecast but 460,000 tons smaller than the year-earlier revised forecast of 53.3 million tons. Export forecasts for 2024 are raised for Brazil and South Korea, while import forecasts are raised for Burkina Faso, Indonesia, and Nigeria, with Indonesia’s import forecast raised 600,000 tons to 2.0 million tons.' 

Weaker Crops in Nigeria 

According to the report, weaker rice production is expected in Nigeria and seven other countries. 

 

The report noted: 

 

'Rice production is projected to continue to decline in Japan and South Korea due to diet diversification and declining and aging populations. Weaker crops are also projected in 2023/24 for Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mali, Nigeria, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.' 

It added that global rice production in 2023/24 is projected at a record 517.8 million tons (milled basis), which is a decrease of 340,000 tons from last month’s forecast but 4.4 million tons larger than a year earlier. 

 

Out of the projected rice production figure, Nigeria is expected to produce about 5.23 million tons. 

 

Top rice importer 

Data from the report also showed that Nigeria will likely be the leading importer of rice in 2024. 

 

The country will be followed by Indonesia with an import projection of 2 million metric tons and Brazil with a projection of 900,000 metric tons. 

 

It noted that the import forecast for Nigeria was raised by 100,000 metric tons from the earlier projection in October. 

 

On the reason for the increase, the report noted: 'Import forecast is raised based on stronger-than-expected demand for imported rice due to both high prices for domestic rice and quality concerns.' 

 

More insight 

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently lifted the foreign exchange restrictions it placed on importers of rice and 42 other items eight years ago. 

 

This will likely encourage the importation of more rice, among other items, into the country. 

 

There have been mixed reactions following the removal of the restrictions, with some farmers recently showing support for the lifting of the foreign exchange ban on rice importation. 

 

According to this group of farmers, the lifting of the forex ban breaks the monopoly of the processing and marketing of grain by local millers. 

 

Prior to the bank, there appeared to be a decrease in rice import, with data from the Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA), showing a decrease of 98.4% between the first seven months of 2022, and that of 2021. 

 

However, there is also a likelihood that foreign rice is likely smuggled more than it is officially imported into the country. 

 

About a week ago, the Nigeria Customs Service said it seized 13 trailer loads of foreign parboiled rice, among other items. 

Indonesian Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman on November 13 said that the country will need to import up to 5 million tonnes of rice by 2024, citing the impact of the El Niño climate phenomenon on rice production.

 

Speaking during a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission IV, which oversees agriculture, environment, fisheries and food security issues, Amran said that this year, Indonesia decided to import 3.5 million tonnes of rice and there’s a possibility that the country can reach 5 million in 2024.

 

The minister shared that Indonesia's rice output is estimated to decrease to 30 million tonnes in 2023 from 31 million tonnes in 2022. In addition, the 2024 rice harvest may be delayed by about two months, causing further supply shortages and hike in prices.

 

To cope with a downward trend in rice production, the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture has saved 1,000 billion IDR (63.7 million USD) from this year's total budget of 15,000 billion IDR to provide additional finance to the General Department of Food Crops.

 

In addition, the ministry also proposed that the House of Representatives and the Government add an additional 5.830 trillion IDR to next year's budget, to promote cultivation and increase rice and corn production.