The inauguration of the second edition of the 'World Food India 2023' mega food event took place today at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi, with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi presiding over the event. During the inauguration, the Prime Minister provided Seed Capital Assistance to over one lakh Self Help Group (SHG) members, reinforcing the support for these groups. Prime Minister Modi also toured the exhibition displayed on the occasion.

 

The primary objective of the event is to present India as the 'food basket of the world' and commemorate 2023 as the International Year of Millets. In his address, the Prime Minister praised the technology and startup pavilion as well as the food street featured at the event, emphasizing that the fusion of technology and culinary excellence will shape the future economy. Prime Minister Modi highlighted the pressing challenge of food security in today's changing world and underscored the importance of World Food India 2023 in this context.

 

The Prime Minister emphasized the significant recognition received by India's food processing sector, often referred to as the 'sunrise sector,' owing to the outcomes of World Food India. He said that in the past nine years, the sector has attracted foreign direct investments exceeding Rs 50,000 crores, thanks to the government's industry-friendly and farmer-centric policies. Prime Minister also mentioned the progress made under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in the food processing sector, which has greatly aided new entrants. He further highlighted the ongoing projects under the Agri-Infra Fund, focusing on post-harvest infrastructure, with an investment exceeding Rs 50,000 crores. Additionally, investments in processing infrastructure in the fisheries and animal husbandry sector, amounting to thousands of crores, were encouraged.

 

The Prime Minister highlighted India's remarkable progress in the food processing sector, crediting the government's dedicated efforts. He mentioned the creation of the Agri-Export Policy, development of nationwide logistics and infrastructure, establishment of district-level hubs, expansion of Mega Food Parks, and significant increase in India's food processing capacity. Shri Modi also mentioned unique agricultural products being exported from India, such as black garlic from Himachal Pradesh, dragon fruit from Jammu & Kashmir, soya milk powder from Madhya Pradesh, and others.

 

Shri Modi emphasized the importance of women-led development in India and highlighted the contributions of women to the food processing industry. He mentioned the promotion of cottage industries and self-help groups for women and the disbursal of seed capital to over 1 lakh women on the occasion.

 

The Prime Minister discussed India's rich food diversity and cultural heritage, emphasizing the importance of sustainable food habits linked with Ayurveda. He stressed the need for the food processing industry to implement ancient knowledge for global food security. Shri Modi acknowledged 2023 as the International Year of Millets and encouraged discussions on increasing the use of millets globally.

 

Shri Modi emphasized sustainable agriculture, food security, and nutrition security, as highlighted in the G-20 Delhi declaration. He stressed the role of all partners in the food processing industry and urged the reduction of post-harvest losses through technology. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the event's conclusions will pave the way for a sustainable and food-secure future globally.

 

Union Ministers, Shri Piyush Goyal, Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras, Shri Giriraj Singh, Shri Parshottam Rupala, and Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, were present on the occasion.

 

On the first day of World Food India 2023, a total of 16 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and various industry entities. These agreements amounted to a total investment of around Rs 17,990 crore. Notable companies participating in these MoUs included Mondelez, Kellog, ITC, Innobev, Nedspice, Ananda, General Mills, and Ab Inbev, among others.

 

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, organized a Roundtable discussion on the inaugural day of World Food India 2023 . The event was co-chaired by Union Minister Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras , Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal , the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles. The Roundtable brought together senior government officials and CEOs from over 70 leading companies operating in the food processing and allied sectors. The discussions in the Roundtable primarily revolved around topics such as ease of doing business, investment and sourcing interests, and gathering industry insights on the existing gaps in the value chain within the Indian Food Processing Sector. The event, except for food street, shall be open for visit without any entry fee.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said India and Sri Lanka have made good progress in negotiations on the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payment system will soon be launched in the island nation.

 

Speaking at an event to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka, Sitharaman said both nations are further 'deepening our civilisation ties' with connectivity as the new focus area. 'As we enhance connectivity between our two countries, we build enduring bridges of experiences and opportunities for our peoples. We weave a future with shared prosperity, overcoming the challenges of the past,' said the minister, who is on a visit to Sri Lanka.

 

As a true friend, she said, India continues to work closely with Sri Lanka on its path to economic recovery. India rendered financial assistance of over $4 billion for Sri Lanka. 'We were the first bilateral creditor to convey financing assurance to the IMF, which paved the way for others to provide similar assurances that formalised the IMF programme for Sri Lanka,' she said.

 

Agreeing that quality standards are a passport for trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said India is making policy efforts to ensure consumers get out of the good-old day's mindset of two standards -- local and export quality -- of products. Goyal, while addressing the G-20 Standards Dialogue here, recalled that in the good old days, every product had a mark for 'export quality' and consumers who could afford used to pick up export quality goods.

 

'Our effort is to move out of that mindset. Our effort is that every product that is made in India will be a high-quality product. When a consumer picks up a product will be reassured of high quality and will not have to look at other products for 'x' quality. Policymaking in India is moving in that direction,' he said.

 

He also said that standards are like patents and he cannot but agree with what the chief of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Pramod Kumar Tiwari looks at standards as a passport to trade.

 

Those who control standards and have the ability to maintain high standards are the ones who will control the markets, prices and processes and become manufacturers and innovators of tomorrow, he added.

 

The minister mentioned that India is making rapid strides to encourage more consumers to become demanding consumers, asking for high-quality goods and services. At the same time, a reasonable time is being given for producers to adopt the new quality standards and ensure India is recognised as a provider of good quality products.

 

'We in government only desire to act as a facilitator, not as a disruptor of your process. We don't want to be a cause of any pain or agony, but we want to handhold and support your efforts. We want India to compete with the rest of the world on equal terms,' he noted. Further, the minister said that quality is not something that comes out of pressure or from quality control order. 'It should come out of the personal conviction of each and every stakeholder,' he said.

 

Stating that 8 billion consumers in the world have the right and desire to have a better quality of goods/services, the minister called for balancing local needs while moving towards the global standards which are acceptable around the world so that India gets out of the mindset of two standards of everything that it produces.

 

He also stressed on the need to progress towards world-class standards, particularly in less developed and developing countries in a calibrated manner but certainly with a collective commitment to maintaining high standards in goods and services for the people of the world.

 

There are opportunities for countries that produce quality goods and services. 'We have a lot to learn from the developed world, we have a lot to support other emerging economies and less developed countries,' he said, adding that if everyone works as a team, standards will enable holistic development and a sustainable future of the world.

 

He suggested that the G20 Standards Dialogue should be a regular engagement and help those countries which do not have a robust system.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the second edition of the Mega food event ‘World Food India 2023’ at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi today. He disbursed Seed Capital Assistance for over one lakh SHG members to strengthen Self Help Groups. Shri Modi also took a walkthrough of the exhibition showcased on the occasion. The event aims to showcase India as the ‘food basket of the world’ and celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

 

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister hailed the technology and startup pavilion and food street showcased on the occasion and said that the fusion of technology and taste will pave the way for the economy of the future. In the changing world of today, the Prime Minister highlighted one of the prime challenges of food security and underlined the significance of World Food India 2023.

 

Prime Minister Modi underlined that the outcomes of World Food India are a huge example of India’s food processing sector being recognized as the ‘sunrise sector’. In the last 9 years, the Prime Minister informed that the sector has attracted foreign direct investment of more than Rs 50,000 crores as a result of the government’s pro-industry and pro-farmer policies. Throwing light on the PLI scheme in the food processing sector, the Prime Minister said that it is providing huge assistance to the new players in the industry. He mentioned that work is underway on thousands of projects under the Agri-Infra Fund for post-harvest infrastructure with an approximate investment of more than Rs 50,000 crores while processing infrastructure in the fisheries and animal husbandry sector is also being encouraged with an investment of thousands of crores.

 

'The investor-friendly policies by the government are taking the food sector to new heights', Shri Modi remarked. In the last 9 years, the Prime Minister informed that the share of processed foods in India’s agricultural exports has grown from 13 percent to 23 percent, making an overall increase of 150 percent of exported processed foods. 'Today, India stands at the 7th position with an overall export value of more than 50,000 million USD in agricultural produce', he informed. He underlined that there is no sector in the food processing industry where India has not shown unprecedented growth and said that it is a golden opportunity for every company and start-up associated with the food processing industry.

 

Prime Minister Modi credited the consistent and dedicated efforts by the government behind the speedy and rapid growth in India’s food processing industry. He mentioned the creation of Agri-Export Policy for the first time in India, the development of nationwide logistics and infrastructure, the creation of more than 100 district-level hubs connecting the district to the global markets, increase in the number of Mega Food Parks from 2 to more than 20, and India’s food processing capacity increasing from 12 lakh metric tonnes to more than 200 lakh metric tonnes, which is a 15 time increase in the last 9 years. The Prime Minister gave examples of agricultural produce that are being exported from India for the first time and mentioned black garlic from Himachal Pradesh, dragon fruit from Jammu & Kashmir, soya milk powder from Madhya Pradesh, Karkitchoo apples from Ladakh, Cavendish banana from Punjab, Gucchi Mushrooms from Jammu, and Raw honey from Karnataka.

 

Noting the rapid urbanization of India, the Prime Minister drew attention to the increasing demand for packaged food creating unexplored opportunities for farmers, start-ups and small entrepreneurs. Shri Modi emphasized the need for ambitious planning to make full use of these possibilities

 

The Prime Minister underlined the three main pillars of India's growth story in the food processing sector - small farmers, small industries, and women. He highlighted the effective usage of Farmer Produce Organizations or FPOs as a platform to increase the participation and profits of small farmers. 'We are making 10 thousand new FPOs in India, out of which 7 thousand have already been made', he informed. He noted the increased market access and availability of processing facilities for farmers and also informed that about 2 lakh micro enterprises are being organized in the food processing industry to increase the participation of Small Scale Industries. 'Schemes like ‘One District One Product’- ODOP are also giving a new identity to small farmers and small industries', he added.

 

Throwing light on the path of women-led development in India, the Prime Minister highlighted the increasing contributions of women to the economy thereby benefiting the food processing industry. He informed that more than 9 crore women in India are associated with self-help groups today. Underlining that women have taken the lead in food science in India for thousands of years, the Prime Minister said that the food variety and food diversity in India is a result of the skills and knowledge of Indian women. He stated that women have been running the market of many products like pickles, papads, chips, murabba etc. from their homes. 'Indian women have the natural ability to lead the food processing industry', Shri Modi remarked as he informed that cottage industries and self-help groups are being promoted at every level for women. PM Modi mentioned disbursing seed capital worth crores of rupees to more than 1 lakh women on today’s occasion.

 

'There is as much food diversity in India as there is cultural diversity. India’s food diversity is a dividend for every investor in the world', the Prime Minister remarked. Noting the increased interest in curiosity towards India, the Prime Minister emphasized that the food industry around the world has a lot to learn from the food traditions of India. He said that India's sustainable food culture is the result of thousands of years of its development journey. Throwing light on the evolution of India's sustainable food culture over thousands of years, the Prime Minister underlined that India’s ancestors linked food habits with Ayurveda. 'In Ayurveda, it is said ‘Rita-Bhuk’ i.e. eating according to the season, ‘Mit Bhuk’ i.e. balanced diet, and ‘Hit Bhuk’ i.e. healthy foods, these are important parts of India's scientific understanding', he explained. He also noted the perpetual impact of trade in food grains, especially spices from India on the world. Speaking about Global Food Security, the Prime Minister stressed the need for the food processing industry to understand and implement the ancient knowledge of sustainable and healthy food habits. Shri Modi acknowledged the world celebrating 2023 as the International Year of Millets. 'Millets are a part of India’s ‘superfood bucket’ and the government has identified it as Shri Anna', Shri Modi said. Even though millets were given great priority in most civilizations for centuries, the Prime Minister pointed out that it had made its way out of the food habit in many countries including India in the last few decades, thereby causing huge damage to global health, sustainable farming as well as sustainable economy. 'On India’s initiative, an awareness campaign regarding millets has started in the world', the Prime Minister said expressing confidence that millets reach every corner of the world similar to the impact of International Yoga Day. He mentioned dishes made from millets for dignitaries visiting India during the recent G-20 summit as well as the availability of processed food items made from millets in the market. Prime Minister Modi urged the dignitaries on the occasion to discuss ways to increase the share of Shri Anna and prepare a collective roadmap for the benefit of the industry and the farmers.

 

Shri Modi said that the G-20 group has emphasized sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition security in the Delhi declaration, and highlighted the role of all partners associated with food processing. He stressed moving the food distribution program towards a diversified food basket and eventually minimizing post-harvest losses. He also stressed reducing wastage by making use of technology. He urged to increase the processing of perishable products to reduce wastage, thereby benefiting farmers and preventing price fluctuations. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister underlined the need to strike a balance between the interests of farmers and consumers' satisfaction. He expressed confidence that the conclusions drawn here will lay the foundation of a sustainable and food-secure future for the world.

 

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras, Union Minister for Rural Development, Shri Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Shri Parshottam Rupala, and Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel were present on the occasion among others.

 

Background

 

To strengthen Self Help Groups, the Prime Minister disbursed Seed Capital Assistance for over one lakh SHG members. This support will help SHGs gain better price realization in the market through improved packaging and quality manufacturing. The Prime Minister also inaugurated Food Street as part of World Food India 2023. It will feature regional cuisines and royal culinary heritage, wherein over 200 chefs will participate and present traditional Indian cuisine, making it a unique culinary experience.

 

The event aims to showcase India as ‘food basket of the world’ and celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millets.  It will provide a networking and business platform for government bodies, industry professionals, farmers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to engage in discussions, establish partnerships, and explore investment opportunities in the agri-food sector. CEOs roundtables will focus on investment and Ease of Doing Business.

 

Various pavilions will be set up to showcase the innovation and strength of the Indian food processing industry. The event will host 48 sessions focusing on various aspects of the food processing industry, emphasizing financial empowerment, quality assurance and innovations in machinery and technology.

 

The event is poised to host participants from over 80 countries, including CEOs of prominent food processing companies. It will also feature a Reverse Buyer Seller Meet, with over 1200 overseas buyers from over 80 countries. The Netherlands will serve as the partner country, while Japan will be the event's focus country.

New Delhi Standards for goods and services should help in promoting global trade and not act as non-tariff barriers, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said on Thursday. He said that standards should not be considered as non-tariff barriers but as some kind of non-tariff measures which can help in optimal results for both consumers as well as producers.

 

'If this becomes the right oil for the trade system, I think a lot of trade restrictions will come down in trade and it will help us take the world trade to USD 30 trillion by 2025 and USD 2 trillion by 2030 for India,' Barthwal said here at a G20 standards conclave organised by Bureau of Indian Standards.

 

Calling for harmonization in the standards ecosystem, he said that different countries are setting their own standards and that has a cost for global trade.

 

Many times producers and exporters also face difficulty not because of the standards but 'because of how they get implemented,' he said adding there is an important need to have coherence in the workings of standard-setting bodies and collaboration in the compliance ecosystem.

 

'Therefore the task before us is how to improve not only standard setting of different products but also how to set up testing ecosystem, how to set up conformity ecosystem and how to see that trade does not suffer because of these standards,' the secretary said.

 

In bilateral treaties, India is touching upon these issues because it feels that there should be a conformity assessment of standards-setting bodies.

 

'Another impression being created in the field of trade...is that if you look at the Global north and global south, you will find that although tariff barriers have come down, trade flows are much easier these days but there is a rise in non-tariff barriers,' he said.

 

He added that standards are supposed to be non-tariff measures and should look at the interest of consumers so that they get the right kind of products.

 

'But gradually what we are seeing is that non-tariff measures are becoming non-tariff barriers...we need to discuss among ourselves that how standards should not be seen as non-tariff barriers but some kind of non-tariff measures perhaps which can result in optimal output or results for both consumers as well as producers,' Barthwal said.

 

In a bid to promote tourism and nurture the state’s culinary heritage on a global platform, Matabari Peda that holds a great religious and economic significance along with state produced honey will be showcased at the ‘World Food India 2023' festival in New Delhi.

 

‘World Food India 2023’ is a global event to be organized by the central government from November 03- 05 with an initiative to showcase, connect and collaborate.

 

To be held at Pragati Maidan at the national capital, the food fiesta will also help in introducing the world to rich Indian food culture as well as promoting investments in the diverse food processing sector of the country.

 

It is a matter of extreme pride for the entire state as for the first time in history, Matabari peda and state produced honey will find a place in the national arena.

 

A delegation of two owing allegiance to Udaipur’s Farmers Producer Organization including Chairman Jayanta Dutta and member Pradip Das will fly to Delhi to take part in the food festival.

 

Speaking in this context, Chairman of Udaipur Farmers Producer Organization hailed the present government in both State and Centre for such a call.

 

'15 kg each of Matabari peda and natural honey produced in the state will be taken to New Delhi. This will help both the products gain name and fame in the global platform', he said.

Russia is introducing a mechanism for payments for agribusiness exports in national currencies as of November 1 under a presidential decree, Azernews reports, citing Interfax.

 

The decree 'On the special procedure for conducting settlements on foreign trade contracts for delivery of Russian agricultural products' was signed and published on August 8, 2023 and went into effect on the date of its official publication, with the exception of provisions for opening special accounts and the settlements mechanism, which went into effect on November 1.

 

The decree provides for the use of special Z-type ruble accounts and special Z-type foreign currency accounts for settlements on foreign trade contracts for deliveries of Russian agricultural products signed by resident exporters with foreign buyers in organized trading. These accounts will be opened at the request of foreign buyers by credit institutions that are authorized banks under the law on currency regulation and control. Banks will be able to open such accounts without the presence of a representative of the foreign buyer.

 

Foreign buyers will transfer funds to the 'Z' accounts in foreign currency, after which they will sell the forex to the authorized bank or instruct it to sell the forex in organized trading. The bank, in turn will deposit funds in rubles to the foreign buyer's 'Z' account and, based on their instructions and entries from the registry of contracts signed in organized trading, transfer the funds in rubles to the account of the resident exporter.

 

The decree prohibits the suspension of transactions on 'Z' accounts and the freezing or debiting of funds in them for the fulfillment of a foreign buyer's obligations that are not related to settlements on the foreign trade contract for the delivery of Russian agricultural products. An exception is made for cases stipulated in the Russian Tax Code and the August 3, 2018 law 'On customs regulation in the Russian Federation and amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation.'

 

The president has given the board of directors of Russia's Central Bank the authority to establish the rules for both types of 'Z' accounts. The government was instructed to approve a list of agricultural products that will be sold under this arrangement.

 

Under a government resolution signed on October 24, the list includes pork, poultry meat and edible by-products, milk and cream, barley, corn, wheat and meslin, soybeans, flax seeds, sunflower, soybean and rapeseed oils and sugar, as well as cake and other solid residue from extraction of fats.

Bangladesh’ Agriculture Ministry has started issuing permits to importers, hoping to bring potato prices under control. Until now, the Department of Agricultural Extension gave clearance to import 19,400 tons of potatoes against 28 applications, said Md Kamrul Islam Buyan, senior information officer of the agriculture ministry.

 

According to asianews.network, the DAE began to issue permits for the import of the root vegetable a day after the commerce ministry decided to allow imports in an effort to contain prices that went up to Tk 65 per kg at retail, the highest on record, in Dhaka. Government agencies estimated the production of potatoes at 10 mln tons in the last harvesting season, higher than the previous one. The estimated annual consumption requirement is around 8 mln tons.

 

The relentless surge in potato prices in Bangladesh has shifted from being a cause for concern to setting unprecedented records. Potatoes are currently fetching prices ranging from Tk 65 to Tk 70 per kilogram in Dhaka's retail market. Despite various attempts to control this price surge, the government has resorted to importing potatoes. This deregulation of the potato market has persisted for the past two months.

 

The decision to import potatoes has raised questions, especially since the Ministry of Agriculture ceased potato exports, citing a surplus in production compared to domestic demand. This leaves us pondering why the prices of this agricultural product have reached historic highs in the local market.

 

The Indian government, through the Food Corporation of India (FCI), has sold 2.88 lakh tonnes (lt) of wheat in the open market through an auction on November 1, which is nearly 96 per cent of the 3 lt of the total quantity offered for sales to the processors. With higher allocation for the auction, the government has been able to contain the rising trend in wheat prices, an official said.

 

The weighted average selling price of wheat was Rs.2,310/quintal on November 1 e-auction, which is the same as the previous week, the official said.