The Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has urged all states to intensify their efforts under the National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm (NMEO-OP). This mission serves as a cornerstone of India’s vision to achieve self-sufficiency in edible oil production, reduce dependence on imports and enhance farmer incomes.

 

Economic growth may have sped up following the slowdown in the September quarter, with business activity showing signs of improvement in the third quarter, economists said. However, growth for the year is expected to remain subdued, they added, putting it below FY24's 8.2%.

 

The Uttar Pradesh government is drafting a new export policy to boost the state’s share in India’s exports. The move aims to provide additional incentives to exporters.

 In the last financial year (FY24), UP’s merchandise exports were worth nearly $20.67 billion, contributing 4.71 per cent to India’s total exports. With the new policy, the government targets to increase this share to 7.5 per cent, a senior official said. For the first six months of FY25, the state logged exports worth $10.56 billion, raising its share in the country's total exports to 4.89 per cent.

 

The Ministry of Commerce is eyeing 20 key nations to boost exports of goods and services from India.

Senior officials from the commerce ministry, and commercial wings of Indian Missions of 20 countries are holding a three-day meet from today (6 January) to discuss ways to promote exports of goods and services to devise strategies for boosting exports of goods and services.

 

Agriculture minister Shivaraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday reviewed various schemes with state agriculture ministers and sought their suggestions on ongoing programmes and budget allocation ahead of the Union Budget. During a virtual meeting, Chouhan expressed satisfaction over the agriculture and allied sector's likely higher growth rate of 3.5-4 per cent in the 2024-25 fiscal year, and urged state governments to work at a 'faster pace', according to an official statement.

 

The government is working on an export strategy to further accelerate the country's goods and services shipments, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said. He said the ministry is working on a 'very' targeted manner to take the exports to $ 2 trillion by 2030 by addressing concerns of exporters and identifying areas of India's competitive advantages and strengths.

 

India and the Maldives have finalised a framework to promote the use of local currencies for cross-border trade, marking a significant development in bilateral economic cooperation. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, during his meeting with Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel in New Delhi, reiterated India's unwavering commitment to the island nation, describing it as a vital part of India’s 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

 

The government has permitted exports of two lakh tonne of wheat to Nepal, according to a notification issued on Saturday. The export is permitted through National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in the notification.

 

Indo-Dutch Horticulture Technologies marked Kisan Diwas 2024 with an inspiring event at their Chafi, Bhimtal facility to honor farmers and promote collaboration between farmers and students. Celebrated under the 'Unnati-Apple Initiative,' the event highlighted farmers' invaluable contributions and emphasized innovation and knowledge sharing.

 

Indian coffee exports in the 2024 calendar year saw a 45 per cent jump in dollar value terms at over $1.684 billion, a record high on increased demand from buyers in Europe such as Italy and Germany. In 2023, coffee exports were $1.160 billion.