Welcoming the President of Tanzania Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan at the India Tanzania Investment Forum in New Delhi today, Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles said that the friendship between the two countries has been elevated to the level of strategic partnership and the wonderful people-to-people and business relationship that exists between the two countries will only get stronger in the years to come.

 

Shri Goyal noted that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a big advocate of bringing the Global South on one platform. The India Africa partnership has flourished under his leadership and the effort that Prime Minister Modi put in to create convergence on making the African Union a full member of the G20 has finally happened, he added.

 

Shri Goyal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks at this partnership between two modern, vibrant nations as a very defining and substantial relationship that will work for the good of two billion people of Africa and India for inclusive and sustainable growth.

 

Shri Goyal pointed out that the two countries share a rich history and our ties go back decades and noting that Mahatma Gandi learnt his first lesson in Africa, Shri Goyal said that there is a lot of similarity in our freedom struggle, we have worked together as non-aligned nations and that we have successfully decolonized our economies. He said that we now have important engagements with each other and are working from investments to startups, from the healthcare sector to business and trade. He added that there is huge potential and our business persons will truly make both countries proud with their commitment to make this relationship grow, expand and really provide opportunities for jobs and for entrepreneurs in both countries.

 

India will partner with Tanzania in different sectors like education, skill development, capacity building, culture, energy, climate action, trade settlement in local currencies and in technology, Shri Goyal said. He noted that India has offered lines of credit to ensure infrastructure development and ensure creation of utilities in Tanzania.

 

Tanzania is the biggest export destination of India in Africa and we look forward to making this another fast growing story, Shri Goyal said adding that we can work together to ensure mutual food security, and in pharma sector and the new and emerging space sector.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Small Farmers Agri-Business Association (SFAC), and CSC jointly organized a Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) Mela today at INA Market, Delhi Haat.

 

Major FPOs from across the country participated in the fair, displaying a wide range of products from more than 20 FPOs.

 

Visitors had the opportunity to taste and experience the essence of natural products at the fair.

 

FPOs are groups of farmers that run commercial activities related to farming and crop production in their area.

 

They provide farmers with discounts on wholesale prices of agricultural inputs, such as manure, seeds, fertilizers, and equipment, and also help farmers sell their finished crops and produce in the market. FPOs are playing a vital role in boosting the rural economy.

 

To make it easier for farmers to access markets, the government has either formed or is in the process of forming an FPO in every block in the country. Today, more than 2,165 FPOs of 8 lakh farmers are doing business through the online platform ONDC.

 

Speaking at the event, Managing Director & CEO, CSC SPV,  Shri Sanjay Rakesh said that CSC has always strived to improve the lives of citizens in rural areas through various initiatives. Farmers and agriculture are an integral part of our initiative.

 

 Thanks to the vast network of CSCs present in remote areas of the country, we are already providing various services to the farmers through tele-consultation, crop insurance, e-veterinary, Kisan Credit Card and PM Kisan schemes.

 

In this context, we are working with full enthusiasm in the formation of FPOs across the country. Our VLEs through FPOs are playing a big role in the empowerment of farmers across the country.

 

CSCs provide rural citizens with access to a variety of government services at their doorstep, such as caste, income, domicile, character certificates, and employment registration.

 

 Through these services, CSCs have played a remarkable role in helping the people of India in the field of e-governance. More than 5.5 lakh CSCs located in remote areas of the country have changed the lives of the citizens.

 

According to an estimate, there are more than 12 crore small and marginal farmers in India, with an average land holding size of less than 1.1 hectares. Most small and marginal farmers need access to both production and post-production functions, such as technology, quality inputs at reasonable prices, seed production, units of farming machinery, value added products, processing, credit, investment, and most importantly, markets.

 

 Collectivization of such producers through formation of FPOs is crucial to address these challenges and increase farmers' income.

 

The FPO Mela held in Delhi Haat was a successful event that showcased the wide range of products and services offered by FPOs. It also provided a platform for farmers to learn about the benefits of joining FPOs and how to access FPO services. The government's focus on promoting FPOs is a welcome step that will help to empower farmers and boost the rural ECONOMIC 

International Monetary Fund (IMF), on Tuesday, raised India's GDP projection marginally by 0.2 per cent to 6.3 per cent even as it slashed the global growth forecast to 3 per cent.

 

IMF in July had estimated India's GDP forecast at 6.1 per cent for 2023-24. However, this is lower than the RBI's latest estimate of 6.5 per cent for the current financial year.

 

However, India's growth is projected to be higher than China's, the third-largest economy in the world.

 

IMF's 'World Economic Outlook' revised China's growth forecast downward by 0.2 percentage points for 2023 and by 0.3 percentage points for 2024 to 5 per cent and 4.2 per cent, respectively.

 

With the property market crisis in that country, lower investment is the main contributor to the revision, it said.

 

'Growth in India is projected to remain strong, at 6.3 per cent in both 2023 and 2024, with an upward revision of 0.2 percentage point for 2023, reflecting stronger-than-expected consumption during April-June,' the 'World Economic Outlook' said.

 

Monetary policy projections are consistent with achieving the Reserve Bank of India's inflation target over the medium term, it noted.

 

The government has mandated the RBI to keep CPI inflation at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side.

 

Observing that the food security concerns prompted recent export restrictions in the world's largest rice exporter India, it said, risks to prices are tilted to the upside, stemming mostly from the ramifications of the end of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and uncertain effects of El Nino, possibly exacerbated by the proliferation of food export restrictions.

 

On the oil import, it said about 35 to 40 per cent of India's crude oil imports came from Russia during April-June 2023, a stark rise from less than 5 per cent before the war in Ukraine.

 

'While India's oil exports (mostly petroleum products) are small relative to its oil imports (mostly crude oil), India increased its oil exports to the European Union substantially,' it said.

 

Last week, the World Bank retained India's growth forecast at 6.3 per cent for the current financial year on the back of robust service activities despite global headwinds.

 

In India, which accounts for the bulk of the South Asia region, growth is expected to remain robust at 6.3 per cent in 2023-24, India Development Update of the World Bank said.

 

The World Bank had projected 6.3 per cent GDP growth in its April report as well. India recorded 7.2 per cent growth in 2022-23.

 

Last month, Asian Development Bank (ADB) marginally lowered India's growth forecast to 6.3 per cent for the current financial year.

 

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its latest report upped the GDP growth projection for India to 6.3 per cent from the previous estimate of 6 per cent.

India’s trade ties with Israel have only strengthened in the years after 2019.

 

The total value of trade rose to $10.5 billion on a rolling four-quarter basis in June 2023

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has launched a Food Tech Valley to transform the Gulf nation into an international hub for agriculture and food technology, says its project head. 'We are uniting the food ecosystem all in one place with first-class infrastructure, business support and community programming. Our goal is to empower farmers, academics, business owners and entrepreneurs to address global food security challenges and pioneer sustainable food production that will reimagine the way the world produces and consumes food,' said Ahmed Al Shaibani, Project Lead, Food Tech Valley.

 

Launched in 2021 by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the Food Tech Valley aims to be a hub for future cleantech-based food and agricultural products. It will also be an incubator for researchers, entrepreneurs, start-ups and industry experts involved in developing solutions that have the potential to shape the future of the food industry.

 

Awareness

Over the past two years, the Valley has created awareness within the food and agriculture sector by taking part in exhibitions and building a strong ecosystem for its investors. It has helped them to forge partnerships with companies such as PepsiCo, FlyDubai, Tradeline and Emirates Development Bank. 

 

The Food Tech Valley is made up of different zones that encompass all areas within the value chain including production, logistics and processing zone, R&D & innovation centre, business park, academy and residential zone. This covers all aspects from food pre-production all the way to logistics and then food surplus and waste management, he said. 'We have also started site construction with the infrastructure being close to completion in order to accommodate early tenants to the project,' said Shaibani on its progress. 

 

The Food Valley Project has attracted the attention of many countries. It shows the importance of the sector and it has added to 'the success of the Dubai Expo'. The effect has been amplified and it enabled the project officials to begin dialogue and start collaborating (with other countries), he said.

 

Benefits

On the advantages of being part of the Valley, the project lead said it includes many benefits. 'Along with being part of a one-stop-shop which includes all areas of the supply chain, there will also be competitive leasing rates and up to 25-year lease agreements which gives companies more security for them to prosper,' said Shaibani.

 

UAE feels Dubai can be a gateway for Indian companies in the agri and food-processing sector to take its products and services global.

 

The untapped potential of the food sector in bilateral business has strengthened the UAE-India partnership in food trade and can strengthen food security in the entire West Asian and North African (WANA) region.

 

The development assumes significance on the heels of companies such as Waycool and Produze disrupting the market across the WANA region.

Mushk Budji -- the indigenous aromatic rice variety from Kashmir -- is likely to get a major boost in its yield with the Jammu and Kashmir authorities planning to expand its cultivation area to 5,000 hectares in the next three years, a senior official has said. According to experts at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), this high-cost traditional variety of rice was on the verge of extinction and was pushed to a few pockets of the Valley because of its susceptibility to blast disease.

 

Besides, non-uniformity in the produce, lack of quality seed, poor yield potential due to the mixing of strains and also due to area expansion under high-yielding paddy varieties led to shrinking of acreage under it, they said.

 

Mushk Budji, mostly grown on over 250 hectares in five villages of Kokernag in south Kashmir, received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in August due to the concerted efforts by the agriculture department and SKUAST.

 

'The niche crop is grown in particular climatic conditions and we are exploring various areas in different parts of the Valley to expand its acreage.

 

'We aim to bring 5,000 hectares of land under crop cultivation in the next three years under the holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors scheme,' Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal, the director of the Department of Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare, Kashmir, told PTI.

 

Last year, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha approved the Holistic Development of Agriculture and Allied Sectors programme, with an outlay of Rs 5,013 crore over the next five years and covering 29 projects.

 

The aim is to transform the agriculture economy and put Jammu and Kashmir on a new trajectory of growth, boosting exports and heralding a new phase of farmer prosperity and rural livelihood security in the Union territory.

 

'We have been successful in expanding the Mushk Budji to Budgam and are expecting more farmers to grow the crop, leading to its increased production to meet the growing demand,' Iqbal said.

 

According to the experts, as part of the programme to revive the cultivation of Mushk Budji, Sagam and adjoining villages in Kokernag in Anantnag district were identified in 2013.

 

Officials said the success of Mushk Budji in Anantnag led to a variety of testing programmes in non-traditional areas under similar ecologies. The agriculture department with the help of SKUAST-Kashmir brought in a new variety of Mushk Budji seeds.

 

'The new seed is resistant to diseases and changing climatic conditions. With the setting up of farmers producers organization, we are endeavouring to make Mushk Budji tap the national and international markets,' Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal said.

 

Referring to the week-long 'GI Mohatsav' which started at 'Kashmir Haat' in Srinagar on October 2, he said 100 GI-tagged agriculture and horticulture products both within and outside Jammu and Kashmir are on display.

 

Attending the event, Manzoor Ahmad Bhat from Sagam village of Kokernag said over 500 farmers from nearly half a dozen villages are growing Musk Budji and will benefit immensely from the GI tagging of their produce.

 

'We are selling one kg Mushk Budji for Rs 260 and have received a lot of response in Srinagar. We have also received calls from Dubai for the product,' he said.

 

In Sagam village, Ghulam Mohammad, an elderly farmer, said they stopped growing the crop a long time ago and started afresh sometime back with the government's support.

 

A Special Round of negotiations for the India - Peru Trade Agreement is scheduled to be held virtually on 10-11th October, 2023. The Indian track will be led by Chief Negotiator Mr. Vipul Bansal, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce and Peruvian track will be led by Mr. Gerardo Antonio Meza Grillo, Director for Asia, Oceania and Africa, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. 

 

Discussions on various chapters including Initial Provisions and General Definitions, Rules of Origin, Trade in Goods, Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation, Technical Barriers to Trade, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, General and Security Exceptions, Cooperation and Legal and Institutional Issues/Dispute Settlement are expected to be undertaken during this special round. Discussions on Services, Movement of Natural Persons, Trade Remedies and Investment chapter will be held later in the month based on mutual convenience of the negotiators.

 

Negotiations for the India-Peru Trade Agreement commenced in the year 2017 and the fifth round was concluded in August, 2019. On account of Covid, the negotiations came to a pause.

 

On the sidelines of CII India-LAC Conclave held in New Delhi on 3rd-4th August, 2023, a delegation led by H.E. Dr. Teresa Mera Gomez, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of Peru met Shri Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry wherein both sides expressed an interest in resuming the trade negotiations. Subsequently, Minister Goyal has directed to recommence the negotiations with Peru.

 

It is anticipated that the Trade Agreement will significantly boost trade, investment and enhance cooperation in various sectors. The sixth round is slated to be held in December, 2023 at Lima in Peru.

 

India and Peru have been experiencing a steady growth in their trade relationship. During FY 2022-23, the bilateral trade volume reached $3.12 billion. India exported goods worth $ 865.91 million to Peru, and imported goods valued at $ 2.25 billion from Peru. Key Indian exports to Peru include motor vehicles/cars, cotton yarn and pharmaceuticals, while Peru primarily exports gold, copper ores and concentrates.

In a meeting with the Export Promotion Councils today, the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Shri Piyush Goyal unveiled a significant initiative to issue system based automatic ‘Status Holder’ certificates under the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023. Now the exporter will not be required to apply to the office of Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) for a Status Certificate and the export recognition will be provided by the IT system based on available Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) merchandise export electronic data and other risk parameters. 

 

This perspective is a paradigm shift in doing things as it not only reduces compliance burden and promotes ease of doing business but also recognizes the need and importance of collaboration within the Government. At present, the exporter is required to file an online application along with an export certificate from a Chartered Accountant for grant of Status. The DGFT Regional Offices, as per the laid down timelines are supposed to issue the certificate in 3 days. The new arrangement will lead to a simplified regime where no applications are invited from exporters and the certification is granted every year in August based on annual export figures available with the partner government agency i.e. DGCIS. 

 

Exporters who are eligible for a higher status based on additional export data relating to services export, deemed exports or double weightage to some entities like MSME etc., which is not getting captured in disaggregated form presently, can apply online for a Status modification also at a later date.

 

The Status Holder certification program provides credibility to the Indian exporters in the international markets. In addition, it provides certain other privileges including simplified procedures under FTP 2023 and priority custom clearances on self-declaration basis, exemption from compulsory negotiation of documents through banks, exemption from filing Bank Guarantee for FTP schemes etc. 

 

With the launch of this new system, the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry will be recognizing about 20,000 exporters under FTP 2023 as Status Holders which will be a quantum jump from the earlier number of 12,518 exporters. The biggest increase in Status certification is seen in the 1 Star category, which is the lowest category and requires a export performance of at least US$ 3 Million in the last 3 preceding financial years plus the 3 months of the current financial year. This will enable the Government to hand hold a larger number of small exporting entities and create a vibrant export ecosystem and help reach our export target of US$ 2 Trillion by 2030.

 

In line with digital India ethos, various e-initiatives have already been implemented where no manual examination or processing is required and various permissions/authorisations are issued under FTP 2023 based on a risk management system and self-declarations of the exporter including 24X7 online issue of Importer Exporter Code number (IEC), issue and renewal of Advance Authorisations.

President Smt Droupadi Murmu inaugurated an International Research Conference on ‘From research to impact: Towards Just and Resilient Agri-Food Systems’, hosted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform today in New Delhi.  Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Kailash Choudhary and Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Secretary for Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Manoj Ahuja, Secretary for Department of Agriculture Research and Education, and Director General for Indian Council of Agricultural Research Dr Himanshu Pathak, Executive Managing Director for CGIAR Prof. Andrew Campbell, Director for CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform Dr.Nicoline de Haan, Director, and South Asia Regional Director for CGIAR Temina Lalani-Shariff also graced the inaugural program.

 

In her address, Smt Droupadi Murmu highlighted the importance of empowering women engaged in agriculture to advance the vision of women-led development. She said that women are indispensable in making every grain reach from farm to plate as they sow, grow, harvest, process, and market our food. 'For ecologically sustainable, ethically desirable, economically affordable, and socially justifiable production, we need research which can enable conditions to reach these goals. She further said that 'We need systematic understanding of how to transform the agri-food systems. I hope this conference and this community will take all the measures and steps to achieve these milestones,' said Smt Murmu.

 

Smt Murmu emphasised that even though the world enters the modern age,the world is still grappling with the challenge of attaining just and resilient agri-food systems. 'Still across the world women are held back and are stopped by discriminatory social norms and barriers to knowledge, ownership, assets, resources, and social networks. Their contribution is not recognized, their role is marginalized, and their agency is denied in the whole chain of the agri-food systems. Their story needs to change,' she added.

 

While appreciating the gathered researchers, the President added, 'I am elated to know that the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform is working on putting equality and inclusion at the heart of food systems research by focusing on women, not as the objects of transformation, but as the agents and drivers of the transformation.'

 

Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that women have played critical roles in agriculture in India, and give as much time as men on the field. Additionally, they put in about 30 hours per week of unpaid care work. I am of the firm opinion that equality in agri-food systems will not only lead to a reduction in poverty, but will also give women better nutrition and health access. This is especially significant in view of the G20 Declaration which puts special emphasis on food security, nutrition and health of women as it recognized the critical role of women in holistic societal growth. This conference gains added significance as it follows on the heels of the highly successful G20 Summit under the Indian Presidency. G20 heads in the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration called upon the world to embrace women-led development. In this context, research serves as a cornerstone for charting inclusive development pathways by proven innovations and priorities.

 

Shri Tomar said that we have a long legacy of investment and success in excellent research, development and innovation. The Union Minister said there are 86 percent small and medium farmers in the country, who, despite facing challenges, have continuously contributed to the sustenance of the nation and have been able to supply food to other countries as well. He added that despite the challenges, new dimensions aimed at the welfare of small farmers have been established in agriculture under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and policiy innovations have been successfully implemented. The minister said Along with climate-friendly varieties developed by ICAR, India is becoming a knowledge partner and role model in the world through agricultural innovation and intensive research. Shri Tomar said ' there is a need to continue investing in research and innovation to boost the production of healthy and affordable food, while also jointly addressing the challenges of climate change and other food system stresses. There is also a need to ensure that innovations to increase the productivity and adaptation of food systems as a whole integrate the Global Goals to strengthen gender equality and further social inclusion into policies.'

 

Dr Himanshu Pathak said that the conference is bringing together some of the top researchers, thought leaders and practitioners who are collectively deliberating how to make stronger and faster progress towards resilient, equitable and just food systems. He added that CGIAR and ICAR play pivotal roles in guiding research, policies and investments towards better and resilient agri-food systems. 'Mainstreaming women in agriculture can bring about a paradigm shift in economic growth through technical knowledge and greater access to resources,' Dr Pathak added.

 

Prof Campbell underscored that CGIAR research shows that when women have equity in access to knowledge, resources and decision-making, the whole community benefits, and food and nutrition security improve for all, further transforming food systems to be more resilient and sustainable. He further said that gender matters in bringing about inclusive agricultural transformation.

 

Recalling how the legendary late Prof.MS. Swaminathan stood firmly as a champion of agricultural research and steered the Green Revolution when humanity faced one of its worst crises, Dr de Haan said that we are in dire need of a new wave of research-backed innovation that can catapult women into the centre of food systems. Let’s ask if we can use research for the next revolution—one that includes women and that gives them the opportunity to contribute, benefit and lead. The gains—for farmers, food systems and nations—would be immense, and that is why we have to get started now.

 

The conference inauguration was followed by a keynote delivered by Mr Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, who shared his perspectives on what is at stake for gender equality in agri-food systems. He said, 'The research by CGIAR and its partners along with ICAR underscores the importance to focus on areas like food security and nutrition, climate smart approaches, inclusive agricultural value chains and digitisation to bring about gender inclusive agricultural transformation.'

 

The four-day conference (October 9-12) is welcoming gender researchers from 68 countries to share cutting-edge knowledge on gender and inclusion in food systems. The event is designed to catalyse scientific exchanges and dialogues among researchers from diverse types of organizations, and will create opportunities to engage with policymakers, practitioners, private sector actors, and others working toward the shared goal of equitable food systems transformation. Its goal is to bridge the gap between research and practice and foster gender-equal and socially inclusive, resilient food systems.

The government is considering imposing a 25% duty on exports of molasses - a by-product of sugarcane and key ingredient for ethanol productions - as it expects a decline in sugar production in the upcoming season, senior officials said.

 

The curbs on exports are expected to boost the availability of molasses for domestic distilleries, which will help them meet the government's ethanol blending target, said an officer on condition of anonymity.

 

India witnessed the driest August in 122 years with rainfall during the month being 36% below average, causing damage to the sugarcane crop in key cane-producing states such as Maharashtra and Karnataka.

 

In August, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) released its preliminary estimate of sugar production for the 2023-24 season at 317 lakh tonnes against 328 lakh tonnes for the current season. The sugar year starts in October and ends in September next year.

 

However, ISMA said it is expected to come out with a more accurate estimate after a satellite assessment of the sugarcane plant by mid-October. This is despite the area under the sugarcane area going up to 59.91 lakh hectare this year from 55.66 lakh hectare last year.

 

The Netherlands, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, and Italy are the top buyers of India's molasses, which is mainly used as cattle feed. Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka are the three states which export molasses from India.