The Africa Agri Expo (AAE) - Africa’s largest agriculture gathering is a well-known event among agriculture enthusiasts — especially those who are targeting the African agriculture sector.

 

The show after the conclusion of its previous six editions has now started inviting participation for its successor —  the 7th edition, scheduled for 19th and 20th Feb 2024 in Sarit Expo Centre, Nairobi, Kenya.

 

The two-day exhibition cum conference will witness participation from more than 35 countries and TAB group (the organizers) are confident of surpassing all previous records. The anticipated footfall will be 5000+ with thousands of global agriculture companies taking the lead.

 

The show is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Kenya and companies that will be here at the show will get tremendous exposure in terms of new markets, insights, prospects and captivating deals.

 

New technologies and solutions that can aid and uplift Africa’s rich agribusiness market will be the centre of attraction when displayed in front of the attendees. Top companies from agrochemicals, agriculture machinery, equipment, technologies, fertilizers and irrigation and many more will be present, and it will be a boon to watch new offerings first-hand.

 

The conference, having 500+ senior delegates, ministry officials, key associations’ representatives, decision-makers and highly designated persons will run parallel to the exhibition.

 

With more than 10 sessions comprising technical, knowledge and panel discussions – the expert speakers will talk about how to strengthen the agriculture sector, make food more resilient and at the same time figure out ways towards achieving sustainability targets — incorporating new technologies and solutions.

 

Top companies and organisations like Rokosan, Natural Storage Solutions, DVA, Draminski, A & S Thai Works, Navbharat Seeds, Borregaard, Agrex Do Brasil, Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest), National Irrigation Authority Kenya (NIA), Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET), aak/CropLife Kenya, Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN), Society of Crop Agribusiness Advisors of Kenya, Rural Agency for Community Development and Assistance (RACIDA) and many others who are already coming to the show to engage and talk business with people that matter most to their business.

 

7th AAE is running an Early Bird Offer till 31st Oct 2023 wherein interested companies can book their booths or buy conference tickets at significantly discounted rates.

Mayiladuthurai district is now part of the Protected Agricultural Zone. The state Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill to amend the TN Protected Agricultural Zone Development Act, 2020 for this purpose.

 

The bill also provides for including ‘animal husbandry and inland fishery’ within the ambit of the term ‘Agriculture’. Besides, the water resources minister and food minister, water resources secretary, and food secretary have been included as members of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Zone Development Authority.  

 

The decision to include Mayiladuthurai district in the Protected Agricultural Zone was taken at the first meeting of the authority chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin on May 12, 2022. The previous AIADMK regime, in February 2020, had formed the Protected Agricultural Zone by including Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, and Nagapattinam, certain blocks of Cuddalore and Pudukottai districts. 

 

Welcoming the decision, Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader T Velmurugan said the government should come forward to include the entire Cuddalore district as part of the zone. M Sinthanai Chelvan of Congress too welcomed the move and said originally, Kattumannarkovil taluk was under the zone. After this taluk was bifurcated, the Srimushnam area was not covered under the zone.  

 

10 bills passed

On the concluding day of the short-duration winter session of the state Assembly, 10 bills were passed. When Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill came up for consideration, Velmurugan welcomed it but proposed an amendment to be made in future. He said the private universities have refused to admit students on a merit basis despite receiving huge funds from the state government. The government should bring in an amendment in future to check this trend.

India represents enormous opportunities for Georgia’s Ports.  The Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) overall trade with India grew faster than its trade with any other country among the top 20 over the past fiscal year.

 

No other U.S. port expanded India trade by more containers than the Port of Savannah, by a margin of 14,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units, according to PIERS-Enterprise loaded cargo data.

 

'Our growth trajectory with India is extremely strong and we are actively taking steps to increase our presence in the market,' said Griff Lynch, GPA president and CEO.  'As production shifts to India and as demand in its economy rises, that trade increasingly favors the Port of Savannah’s strategic location over West Coast ports, due to time and cost.'

 

Import-export volumes between Savannah and India totaled 279,149 TEUs last fiscal year, for an increase of 18 percent or 43,333 TEUs.

 

Facts

 

GPA exports to India grew by 50% in FY23 vs FY22 and by nearly 80% in the past five years.

Overall GPA trade with the South Asian nation grew by 18% in the past fiscal year and 61% over the past five years.

Savannah handles more India trade than any other U.S. port except NY/NJ.

GPA imports from India over the past five years were up 52%. In FY23, imports constituted 63% of GPA’s total India volumes, signaling well-balanced trade.

GPA has weekly container services with India’s major ports of Nhava Sheva (India’s commercial and financial hub – and largest port), Mundra and Pipavav.

Quick stats on India

 

India is the world’s fastest growing major economy and is expected to become the third largest economy by 2027.

The median age is 28 in India vs. 38 in China.

India’s global exports were one-tenth of China’s in 2021, but now exceed all other emerging markets except Mexico’s and Vietnam’s, according to World Bank data.

India’s infrastructure is getting sweeping upgrades and the nation plans to invest $82 billion in port projects by 2035.

 

Georgia’s ports and inland terminals support more than 561,000 jobs throughout the state annually, and contribute $33 billion in income, $140 billion in revenue and $3.8 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. CNBC ranked Georgia #1 in the U.S. for infrastructure in America’s Top States for Business in 2023. 

 

GPA is investing in future supply chains with a $1.9 billion port master plan and a $6 million workforce housing initiative. The Port of Savannah is grateful and fortunate to have one of the most extensive, industry-leading supply chain ecosystems through our business partners operating near the port that serve the logistics needs of thousands of customers and ensure long-term competitiveness, business resiliency and future growth capabilities. For more information, visit gaports.com or contact Tom Boyd at tboyd@gaports.com or call (912) 964-3855.

India may sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with its key diplomatic partner Indonesia to sell up to 1 million tonnes (mt) of white rice annually, two government officials said.

 

India’s 20 July ban on non-basmati white rice exports comes even as Indonesia plans to safeguard food security against disruptions caused by the El Nino weather pattern and difficulties with supplies from Vietnam, the current major supplier.

 

Although Indonesia is self-sufficient in rice production, it procures rice through MoUs when there is uncertainty in meeting its domestic demand. Currently, Indonesia has MoUs for the supply of white rice with Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

 

'Indonesia is now facing difficulties as Vietnam, the current major supplier to the nation, aims to cut its rice exports significantly amid a drought forecast due to El Nino effects. To ensure meeting domestic demand, Indonesia is looking at India as an alternative supplier, and accordingly, the country has proposed an MoU for procuring up to 1 mt of white rice annually from India which is subject to availability.' one of the officials said.

 

Although white rice export from India is currently under the prohibited category, exports permission can be granted by the government to meet the food security needs of other countries at the request of their governments. India earlier approved exports of limited quantities of rice to Bhutan, Mauritius, UAE, and Singapore. The UN’s World Food Programme also requested India to supply 200,000 tonnes after the ban.

 

'The proposed MoU doesn’t impose any kind of binding commitment on India to supply rice if domestic production is not favourable. The purchase is subject to production in both countries. Also, the proposed MoU clearly lays down that it does not create any obligation on either party under international law. It also includes termination of the MoU at any time by either party with a 6-month notice period,' the official explained.

 

According to the commerce ministry, Indian exports of white rice to Indonesia in 2022-23 (April-March) was worth $1.05 million and $6.51 million till June in the current financial year. India’s share in Indonesia’s white rice import was 9.61% in 2020, 17.51% in 2021, and 7.06% in 2022.

 

Therefore, 'the MoU may push India’s rice export to Indonesia when export conditions are favourable. It will also help increase India’s exports to Indonesia, diversify the trade basket and reduce the wide trade deficit,' the other official said.

 

'Further, the MoU will work in favour of India to get a foothold in the Indonesian market and emerge as an alternate supplier to Indonesia in place of Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan, leading exporters after India. This will also help India to enhance its reliability among other Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) rice buyers such as the Philippines and Malaysia,' the official said.

 

Indonesia is India’s largest trading partner in the Asean region, with trade standing at $38.84 billion and accounting for a little over 29% in 2022-23 of India’s trade with Asean. With large palm oil imports from Indonesia, the trade deficit in the last financial year was $18.8 billion, according to commerce ministry data. 'The matter is still in an early stage, and will be taken to the authorities concerned before seeking approval from the cabinet committee,' the first official said.

 

Queries sent to the spokespeople of the Indonesian embassy in New Delhi, commerce and food & public distribution ministries on Friday remained unanswered at press time.

The government has approved exports of 1.34 million tonne (MT) of non-basmati white rice to seven countries from Asia and Africa including Philippines, Malaysia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Nepal through National Cooperative Export Ltd (NCEL).

 

The food ministry following a meeting of the inter-ministerial committee on review of prices and availability of essential commodities on Friday recommended exports of white rice to the commerce ministry.

 

A formal notification by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade is expected shortly.

 

On July 20, while the government banned shipment of white rice to boost domestic supplies, the exports are allowed to meet the food security needs of the developing countries through a government to government (G2G) route.

 

The volume of non-basmati rice exports approved to countries – Philippines (0.29 MT), Cameroon (0.19 MT), Malaysia (0.17 MT), Ivory Coast (0.14 MT), republic of Guinea (0.14 MT), Nepal (95,000 tonne) and Seychelles (800 tonne).

 

Last month, the government approved exports of 75,000 tone of non-basmati rice to the United Arab Emirates through NCEL.

 

In August, the government approved exports of 0.14 MT of white rice to Bhutan (79,000 tonne), Singapore (50,000 tonne) and Mauritius (14000 tonne) through the NCEL.

 

Philippine, one of the world’s largest rice importers and usually source grain from neighbouring Vietnam, in July had envisaged interest in sourcing white rice from India.

 

A senior food ministry official told FE that the government is monitoring the rice harvest for the current kharif season and a decision to ease export relaxation on the varieties of rice would be considered only by next year.

 

Meanwhile, the government on Friday extended the 20% export duty on parboiled rice till March 31, 2024. The duty on shipment of parboiled rice was initially announced in August.

 

The extension of export duty on parboiled rice is aimed at improving domestic supplies and discouraging shipment.

 

In 2022-23, India exported nearly 7.5 MT of parboiled rice mostly to sub-Saharan Africa.

 

In September 2022, India had banned broken rice exports.

 

Retail rice prices rose by 11.9% in September, a marginally lower from the previous month. Rice inflation has been rising in double digits since the beginning of the year.

 

The Food Corporation of India is aiming to sell 2.5 MT of rice by the end of the year from its surplus stock in the open market to cool down the prices. The series of measures to restrict rice exports aimed at improving domestic supplies.

 

India has been the world’s largest exporter of rice over the last decade with more than 40% share in annual global rice trade of 55 MT.

 

In FY23, India exported a record 17.78 MT of non-basmati rice worth of $ 6.35 billion.

 

During the April-August period of the current fiscal, the country has exported 6.45 MT of non-basmati rice, a decline of 15% from the same period previous fiscal.

 

According to the US department of agriculture forecast in September, India rice exports is projected to decline to 17.5 MT in the current fiscal from a record 22 MT in FY23 mainly because of restriction in exports and lower production prospects.

Maharashtra, the second largest producer of chana and sixth largest for wheat in the country, plans to cut area under chana and wheat by 27% and 20% respectively during the rabi season. Instead, it plans to increase area of crops like jowar and maize, which need comparatively less water.

 

Above-normal temperatures in October, low reservoir levels and chances of El Nino impacting the ensuing winter season have increased worries of farmers from rain-fed areas.

 

Increasing area under jowar and maize would also help increase availability of fodder in rain-fed areas, where farmers have already started using sugarcane as fodder, said officials of the agriculture department.

 

In its plan for the rabi season, Maharashtra's agriculture department has planned to reduce area planted under rabi chana to 21.52 lakh hectares, down from last year's chana acreage of 29.66 lakh hectares.

 

The state government plans to reduce the area under wheat from 12.28 lakh hectares last year to 10 lakh hectares in 2023-24 rabi season.

 

'Instead of crops, which need more water, we plan to bring more area under millets like jowar and fodder crops like maize. Wheat needs around 4-5 rounds of irrigation, which may not be feasible in some areas,' said a high-level official of the state's agriculture department, requesting not to be quoted.

 

Hafed, a government agency has so far procured over four times more bajra produce across the state than last year at commercial rates of Rs 2,200 to Rs 2,250 per quintal while over 22 per cent procured produce is yet to be lifted from various grain markets in the state.

 

'A total of 3.31 lakh MT bajra (millet) has been purchased from various grain markets across the state till Sunday while a total of 80,382 MT bajra was procured by Hafed in the state in 2022. The figure will increase further in the coming days as the procurement process is still underway,' said Rajnish Sharma, Chief General Manager, Hafed.

 

Sharma said so far, 78 per cent of the procured bajra had been lifted from the grain markets across the state while the district authorities had been directed to ensure speedy lifting of the remaining produce so that the payment could be released to the farmers in due time.

 

'The procurement and the lifting is being done regularly in all districts. Even the farmers are getting the payment in due time. Initially, the bajra was procured at Rs 2,200 per quintal, but it is being purchased at Rs 2,250 per quintal since October 5,' said the Chief General Manager.

 

Bajra is mainly sown in eight districts — Mahendragarh, Rewari, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Gurugram and Nuh — of South Haryana. As per information, a total of over 73,000 MT bajra in Mahendragarh, 72,496 MT in Rewari, 34,590 MT in Jhajjar and 6,668 MT bajra has been procured in Rohtak district so far.

 

Anoop Kumar, District Manager, Hafed, said nearly 27,377 MT bajra in Jhajjar and 6,445 MT in Rohtak had been lifted so far while the remaining produce would also be lifted soon.

Rice procurement has started with a bang in the first fortnight of the kharif marketing season that began on October 1. Total purchases have registered a 6 per cent growth, which experts have attributed to the early start to harvest this year.

 

According to official data, rice procurement was 37.58 lakh tonnes (lt) as of October 15, up 5.9 per cent from 35.48 lt a year ago. The government has set a target to procure 521.27 lt from the kharif-grown crop. During 2022-23 (October-September), the total rice procurement was 569.4 lt from kharif and rabi crops.

 

Procurement in Haryana began from September 25 and in Tamil Nadu from September 1, while it commenced from October 1 in Punjab and west Uttar Pradesh. The purchase in east Uttar Pradesh will start from November 1 as the harvest starts late there.

 

Good start in UP

Punjab, which is one of the top rice contributors to the Central Pool stock, has purchased 13.2 lt until October 15, which is 4 per cent up from a year ago and Haryana got 22.2 lt, which is 15.6 per cent more. But the purchase in Tamil Nadu has slipped by 44.6 per cent to 1.92 lt as its paddy crop has been affected by lack of irrigation.

 

Uttar Pradesh has seen a good start as procurement of rice has reached 6,844 tonnes against 488 tonnes in the corresponding period a year ago.

 

The Centre aims to buy 122 lt from Punjab, 40 lt from Haryana, 44 lt from Uttar Pradesh and 15 lt from Tamil Nadu from kharif season’s rice.

 

The government has already extended the validity of the 20 per cent export duty on parboiled rice until March 31, 2024, while the ban on white rice continues. The Agriculture Ministry is yet to release the crop estimate of the kharif season, fuelling speculation of a drop in production after the highest rainfall deficit of 36 per cent since 1901 witnessed in August. The paddy acreage this kharif season, however, was 2 per cent higher at 411.96 lakh hectares (lh) against 404.27 lh last year.

Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture disclosed on Sunday that its Directorate General of Horticulture has issued at least 200 recommendations for garlic imports with a total volume of 1.1 million tons.

 

'Well, it is not just for several importers. I convey that the authority for licensing garlic imports belongs to Trade Ministry,' Director General of Horticulture Prihasto Setyanto said.

 

After the Agriculture Ministry issued recommendations for importing the horticultural products or RIPH, ?importers then submit Import Approval (PI) applications to the Trade Ministry,' he said in a statement released in Jakarta on Sunday.

 

Setyanto explained that business people must apply for the RIPH (garlic) online through what is called the balance of commodity national system or SINAS NK.

 

Applying through the SINAS NK which is integrated with the RIPH System has been mandated by the Minister of Agriculture Regulation Number 39 of 2019. If an application meets all administrative and technical requirements, a RIPH will be issued.

 

Setyanto further said the RIPH is a technical recommendation stipulating that the horticultural products that will be imported meet requirements for quality assurance and safety for consumption. It also applies the principles of good traceability and safety standards for fresh food of plant origin.

 

'The RIPH is one of the required conditions that business people meet for importing horticultural products,' he stressed.

 

As for the 2024 RIPH application, the business actors may apply for the RIPH (garlic) according to their compliance in carrying out the mandatory planting and production of garlic as regulated in the Minister of Agriculture Regulation 39/2019, he said.

 

If a company has met its obligations, the Ministry of Agriculture cq. Directorate General of Horticulture will issue a payment confirmation letter (SKL).

 

Thus, for companies that have implemented mandatory planting and production of garlic with the issuance of one SKL and no other planting obligations have been completed, they can apply for RIPH in 2024 for up to 4,000 tons. For those having two SKL, they may apply for 5,000 tons.

 

To date, there have been more than 100 companies that have implemented the mandatory planting and production of garlic according to existing regulations. The ministry has also prepared various monitoring instruments for compliance in collaboration with the Food Task Force.

 

Acting Minister of Agriculture Arief Prasetyo Adi has earlier emphasized that his ministry is currently instilling an anti-corruption spirit and a spirit of upholding integrity in its ranks.

 

The spirit is shown by preparing a quick wins program within the next three months, including very fast initiative steps to reform the bureaucracy, especially those related to eradicating corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN), including through the issuance of a transparent RIPH according to the rules of the game for all garlic importers.

 

'I believe that the Ministry of Agriculture after this will be a dignified Ministry of Agriculture, a Ministry of Agriculture that can be proud of and a Ministry of Agriculture that can be an example for other Ministries,' he explained.

The first consignment of the imported eggs will arrive in the country within the next three to four days, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said.

 

Munshi said this after inaugurating the sale operations of TCB's commodities at subsidised rate among one crore family card holders through programme at the ward councilor's office near to Dhanmondi Lake in the capital on Sunday.

 

Earlier in two phases, the government gave permission to import some 10 crore pieces of eggs.

Considering the situation, the government has given approval to 15 companies to import 15 crore pieces of eggs and of them, seven companies have already opened up LCs so far, said the minister.

 

The government on September 14 fixed the prices of potatoes, onions and eggs in the wake of the exorbitant price hike of these daily necessary commodities in the local market.

 

According to the rate, per kilogram of potato was supposed to be sold at Tk 35 to Tk 36, per piece of egg at Tk 12 respectively. But, even after a month, the government fixed price has not yet been implemented in the market across the country. 

 

Responding to a query whether the potato import will be allowed, he said the government has not yet given any permission to import potatoes though the government fixed price is ignored in the market.  

 

'We have adequate stock of potatoes. We are monitoring the market spontaneously. If the price does not come down, we will take a decision through discussion with the agriculture minister,' he said.