India on Tuesday said it has decided to allow export of rice to Singapore in view of the special relationship between the two countries. Last month, India announced a ban on export of all non-basmati white rice that resulted in sharp increase in global rice prices.

 

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said formal orders allowing export of rice to Singapore will be issued shortly.

 

'India and Singapore enjoy a very close strategic partnership, characterised by shared interests, close economic ties and strong people to people connect,' he said.

 

'In view of this special relationship, India has decided to allow export of rice to meet the food security requirements of Singapore,' Bagchi said.

 

The MEA spokesperson said this while responding to media queries on export of rice to Singapore.

 

'Formal orders in this regard will be issued shortly,' he said.

Following the G20 Trade and Investment Ministers Meeting (TIMM) at Jaipur, Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal and the UK's Secretary of State for Trade, Kemi Badenoch had a stock-taking meeting in Delhi on August 26 to review the ongoing India UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), informed Ministry of Commerce and Industry through an official release.

 

While expressing satisfaction over the last 12 rounds of negotiations wherein several chapters have been finalised, both exuded confidence that the next round of negotiations to be similarly successful. Both Chief Negotiators apprised the Ministers about the current state of play, issues outstanding for resolution and their continuous joint efforts to iron out the same.

 

While appreciating the efforts of both the CNs, the Ministers desired a good pace of exchanges to be continued with a better understanding of each other's aspirations and sensitivities. Both leaders expressed their unwavering commitment to reaching a conclusion on a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial trade deal that will enhance economic cooperation between the two countries, according to the official release.

 

Minister Goyal thanked Badenoch for her support and constructive participation in the G20 TIMM at Jaipur. He also invited her to participate in B20 Summit India 2023 events. The meeting was also attended by Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal and DG Trade Negotiations Amanda Brooks. Teams are going to continue negotiations till the end of August 2023 which will be followed by stock-taking at a higher level, it added.

 

The G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting TIMM was held in Jaipur on August 24th and 25th. The meeting was preceded by the 4th and last Trade and Investment Working Group TIWG meeting under India's G20 Presidency which took place on August 21 and 22 in Jaipur.

 

The first three TIWG meetings were held in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kevadia respectively. Both meetings were attended by more than 300 delegates, including trade ministers/secretaries and heads of delegations from G20 member countries, invitee countries, regional groupings and international organisations.

 

The deliberations focused on building consensus on global trade and investment-related issues, along with accomplishing action-oriented proposals put forward by the Indian Presidency.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, has said that the upcoming G20 Summit holds significant importance for global trade, for attracting investments to India and for enhancing India’s role in multi-lateral organizations. Shri Goyal said this while addressing the Northern Regional Export Excellence Award function of Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO) in New Delhi today.

 

Expressing confidence that India’s presidency will be recognized and remembered for many years as an action oriented Summit where significant deliverables were offered to the world, Shri Goyal noted that the recent G20 Trade Ministers’ meet in Jaipur gave a Call of Action through which Indian MSME sector will get a significant access to information, which will help them become globally successful exporters. 'We are looking at mapping global value chains so that Indian traders can play a greater role in global value chains and we also focussed on digitisation of trade documentation,' he added. He noted that India will have almost 90 percent of global GDP being represented in New Delhi at the G20 Summit in a few days.

 

Shri Goyal said that after a long period of a stagnation in exports, India broke the ceiling and crossed 450 billion dollars of merchandise exports in 2022-23. Admitting that the current year does show some challenges with geopolitical situation and the impact of that which we are seeing in certain sectors like petroleum, gems and textiles, he expressed confidence that our exporters have the ability and agility to overcome adverse situations. He said that we are living in a nation full of pride, a nation full of talent, a nation which is being recognized across the world as the future engine of world economic growth. India has celebrated three major achievements in the recent days – Chandrayan mission, in sports in form of wins in javelin and chess and the successful engagements in Ministerial Meetings in G20, he said.

 

Shri Goyal quoted Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi saying 'Business can transform potential into prosperity, obstacles into opportunity, aspirations into achievements, small or big, global or local, it can ensure progress for everyone.' This is truly a great vote of confidence in our business community, he said. 'You are being recognized and respected for the work that you do and your contribution in our journey towards become a developed nation is being recognized and applauded,' he added.

 

Commerce and Industry Minister said that India was one of the few nations who showed resilience and responsibility during the pandemic. 'We also showed sensitivity to the developing world by providing them vaccines, to many of them free of charge. We showed that under Prime Minister Modi’s astute leadership we will perform and lead global growth,' he said.

 

Shri Goyal said that Prime Minister Modi has described India as a nation of opportunities. For the next 30 years, India will continue to have a young population and we will add 30 trillion dollars to become a 35 trillion economy by 2047, he said, adding that our young, aspirational demography will create a demand for us. Now even the sky is not the limit for us, he said, alluding to India’s successful space mission.

 

'We are investing huge amounts of money on infrastructure so that we can get lower logistics cost, so that we can get seamless movement of goods and services and we are ensuring that we get corruption free environment,' Shri Goyal said, adding that 'no power can stop India’s growth now.' The target for 2030 is to have 1 trillion dollars of goods exports and 1 trillion dollars of service exports and this will be met with your hard work and contributions, Shri Goyal added. He informed the gathering that India is trying to unlock newer markets through FTAs, encouraging investments in modern technology, looking for digitalization and technology adaption to become more acceptable to the world for high quality goods and services so that the true potential of India can be harnessed.

 

'We should focus on quality, sustainability and innovation and if we keep these in our priority, the world is looking up to India wants to deal and trade with India and to partner with us in our growth story,' he concluded.

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said that the current year shows some challenges with the geopolitical situation across the world, concerns around inflation and slowing growth which is impacting certain sectors such as petroleum, natural diamonds, readymade garments and chemicals.

 

At an event organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), he emphasised on value, volume and quality of exports and that India is trying to unlock newer markets through free trade pacts, collaboration work different countries, encouraging investments in modern technology, looking for digitalization and technology adaption.

 

'The current year does show some challenges with the geopolitical situation across the world with concerns around inflation slowing growth and the impact that we have seen in certain sectors,' Goyal said.

 

He said the target for 2030 is to have $1 trillion of goods exports and $1 trillion of service exports, and that India aspires to to become a $35 trillion economy by 2047.

 

The minister also met various export promotion councils earlier in the day where issues related to the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism were taken up.

 

'Issues related to high imports of gold and some chemicals but the low exports of gems and jewellery were discussed,' said an industry representative who participated in the meeting, adding that exporters assured the government of reaching $450 billion of goods exports in the next seven months.

 

Officials said that petroleum products, marine products and inorganic chemicals were among the 15 key product categories where export volumes rose but value fell in April-June FY24.

 

At the FIEO event, Goyal said that India’s space sector is not going to be restricted to the government alone.

 

'We have already formed IN-SPACE. And one thing on regulatory forbearance and regulatory simplification to allow the private sector to participate in this journey of space,' he said.

Andhra Pradesh exported goods worth 1.59 lakh crore in 2022-23, emerging as the sixth largest state of the country in terms of the value of exports. The state reported a near 11% increase in the volume of foreign trade in 2022-23 compared to its 1.43 lakh crore in 2021-22. AP contributed to about 5% of the total exports of the country in the last fiscal.

 

According to the official statistics, Visakhapatnam topped all the districts with about 48,608 crore worth exports in 2022-23, followed by East Godavari (31,000 crore). From organic/inorganic chemicals, anti-cancer drugs, and calcined petroleum coke in Visakhapatnam district to shrimp and other marine products and rice in East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh is exporting about 2,100 products to nearly 190 countries. For instance, Anantapur exported about 11,000 crore worth cars, car engines, and other vehicle accessories in 2022-23.

 

Omeprazole and lansoprazole drugs worth 133 crore were exported from Srikakulam in the last fiscal. The same district was involved in amoxicillin and other antibiotic foreign trade to the tune of 300 crore. Vizianagaram on its part exported maize starch, shrimp, ferro manganese, etc.

 

Even though on a small scale, several districts are exporting handicraft products, textiles, ceramic products and glassware, leather products, spices, iron products, etc. to various countries. Having major ports of the state, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari generally make it to the list of top 25 districts of the country in terms of export share, every year. While Visakhapatnam contributes to about 1.5% of the country’s total exports, Kakinada on its part accounts for about 1% of the total foreign trade. Visakhapatnam occupied 15th place in the country in 2021-22, whereas East Godavari made it to the 24th position.

 

Of the 10,916 crore worth exports done from Guntur district in 2022-23, tobacco took the lion’s share in the value of exported goods.

Even though the state stood in sixth place in exports, AP was limited to eighth place in the recent ‘export preparedness index’ prepared by Niti Aayog. As per the report, the state can improve its business ecosystem to match its policy and export ecosystem.

 

'Improving infrastructure would help improve the cluster strength in the state, which could unlock its regional competitiveness. Low proportion of businesses with importer-exporter code implies that many manufacturers do not export, which hinders the growth of the region, and the state. Measures to encourage businesses to export by building their capacity and establishing institutions like certification agencies in the state can be the future steps taken by the state government to help it boost its exports,' read the report.

A significant growth of startups in the millet sector has turned the attention of the highest levels of Government to making the millet movement a mass movement in India and globally. Engagement of younger individuals and innovation from large retail organisations have sparked a vibrant startup movement for promoting millets with India witnessing the emergence of more than 80 startups in the millet sector within the past year and a half, responsible for developing well-packaged products.

The nation’s culinary history bears witness to millets being extensively used across all cultures, states, and cuisines in India before being overshadowed by rice and wheat. Millet is also being associated with environmental responsibility, as a low environmental impact grain, especially concerning water consumption. Khader Vali, known as the Millet Man of India points to the sustainable cultivation of millets, which requires minimal water.

 

A new FICCI PwC Knowledge Report on propelling India’s millet sector towards a sustainable future, outlines the policy implications for the next 10 to 15 years, production aspects, awareness creation, innovation, and market development for millets. The report emphasises the need to create both domestic and international demand for millets given their role in ushering in economic prosperity along and proposes ways to achieve these goals. To mainstream millets and bringing the 'Shree Anna' to every plate, the report proposes a four-pronged strategy centred on production enhancement interventions which entail crop and varietal improvements. It calls for concerted efforts on value-added product development, innovations in production and processing technologies and holistic policy support for millet promotion.

Shashi Kant Singh, Partner at PwC India, prioritises awareness creation as a key aspect of the proposed strategy in the report. 'The report highlights the importance of mainstreaming millets and prioritising the interests of cultivators, consumers, and investors alike,' says Singh. The third area of action is innovations for increasing the area under millet cultivation along with dedicated product development endeavours. This would be helpful in increasing consumption. 'Demand generation through public-private partnership models and global initiatives would be helpful in the long run to sustain the fervour,' adds Singh. Acknowledging the significant work done by the government in promoting millets, Singh also suggests that this can well be a jewel in India’s soft power diplomacy.

There are however formidable challenges as highlighted by the report. In most production areas in India, millets are still cultivated using indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK) by smallholder farmers who already lack resources for the adoption of farm mechanisation for millet cultivation. The core reason for this is not the lack of modern millet production technologies but farmers either lacking the awareness or accessibility to those innovations. Another obstacle that needs to be addressed is the short shelf life of processed millets. While prepared meals quickly go rancid, millet flour can only be stored for very short durations. This raises storage concerns and renders processed products more prone to pest infestation.

Going ahead, the Government is looking to drive continuous efforts to provide guidance and support to small entrepreneurs and startups in the millet area, recognising the need for handholding rather than focusing solely on large export houses. There is also focus on sustaining the momentum after the launch of the campaign to take it to the next level. Looking further, President of TAFE, TR Kesavan advocates for integrating millets into the regular diet given its nutritional value and climatic resilience and income generation for farmers. To ensure millets receive conscious attention from all stakeholders to transform them into an attractive and profitable crop for millet-growing farmers, Kesavan feels the concept of farmer producer organisations (FPOs) must be intensified, functioning as the cornerstone of this transformation. By seamlessly integrating FPOs with forward and backward linkages, empowering millet FPOs with knowledge and best agricultural practices, a robust supply chain can be forged that spans from the farm to the market. This has the potential to revolutionise the agricultural landscape, adds Kesavan.

Global rice prices continue to rise, pushing Thai rice prices to 12,000 baht per tonne after Myanmar followed India’s lead by implementing a two-month ban on rice exports.

 

India banned most rice exports on July 20, raising concerns that other rice-exporting countries might do the same, sparking volatility in the global rice market. Only 'basmati’ rice ' can be exported from India, though its government has opened channels to sell directly to other governments. Several countries have requested export quotas from India, leading to price fluctuations.

 

India is the largest rice exporter, accounting for around 40 percent of the global rice trade. It has a major impact on global rice prices. Other major exporters, like Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, and the United States, have been affected by India’s partial ban.

 

Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said the current rice-price situation makes it challenging for sellers to provide accurate prices. The recent ban on rice exports by Myanmar adds to the uncertainty.

 

Traders are closely watching India’s decision on which countries it will sell rice to, as this will impact global rice prices.

 

Vietnam, the third-largest rice exporter, has said it will not halt rice exports, but uncertainty remains about the future actions of other major rice-exporting nations, Chookiat said.

 

The goal of exporting 8 million tonnes of rice this year from Thailand remains, but it could fall short if major buyers like the Philippines and Indonesia succeed in purchasing rice from India, Chookiat said.

India has allowed traders to ship out their non-basmati white rice cargoes sitting at ports due to a sudden ban on exports of the category, a government order said late on Tuesday.

 

On July 20, India surprised buyers by banning exports of widely consumed non-basmati white rice to control rising domestic prices. The move followed a ban on broken rice exports last year.

 

The export ban trapped thousands of tonnes of non-basmati white rice at ports, leaving traders facing losses.

 

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), a unit of the trade ministry, in its latest order said it would allow shipments of trapped cargoes provided traders paid the export duty by July 20, when the ban was imposed.

 

Before the July ban on non-basmati white rice exports, overseas shipments of the grade would attract a 20% tax.

 

After the DGFT order, around 150,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice cargoes would be shipped out of various ports, said Prem Garg, president of the Indian Rice Exporters Federation.

 

'Three ships were standing still at the Kandla port and a lot of containers were lying at different ports, causing a lot of problems for the rice industry,' he said.

 

India, which accounts for 40% of world rice exports, sells the staple to more than 150 countries, including a few poor and vulnerable countries in Africa and Asia.

 

New Delhi exported a record 22.2 million tons of rice in 2022.

 

After banning non-basmati white rice exports, India on Friday imposed a 20% tax on parboiled rice shipments and introduced a floor price for overseas sales of basmati rice, as part of efforts to keep a lid on local prices.

 

India's rice export curbs have put upward pressure on global rice prices.

 

'The permission to allow the cargoes stuck at ports will not only help Indian suppliers, it will also help consumers in some of the most needy countries,' Garg said.

 

Most of the trapped cargoes would go to East African and West African countries, he said.

Every year, thousands of tourists from the northern districts of the State journey through Wayanad to Karnataka to enjoy the beauty of flower gardens set up on the Kerala-Karnataka border. However, civic bodies, farmers groups, and other organisations have set up their own gardens in the district this year to tap the tourism potential during the Onam holidays.

 

While the owners of the marigold gardens in Karnataka are charging Rs.50 to Rs.100 as entry fee for a person for a photography session, the project at Sulthan Bathery are charging only Rs.20 per person.

While the owners of the marigold gardens in Karnataka are charging Rs.50 to Rs.100 as entry fee for a person for a photography session, the project at Sulthan Bathery are charging only Rs.20 per person. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

 

An innovative floriculture project of the Sulthan Bathery Municipality aimed at attracting tourists to the town, known for its cleanliness, opened to visitors on Friday.

 

The project was launched in June in association with the Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) under the civic body. The initiative, launched as part of the Happy Happy Sulthan Bathery project, envisages popularising the 'happy culture' of the civic body across the State.

 

The HKS members have planted three types of marigold plants on two acres of land near Sulthan Bathery town. They have also planted other flowering plants such as sunflowers and gomphrena, says T.K. Ramesh, chairman, Sulthan Bathery Municipality.

 

The civic body has spent Rs.3 lakh for the project and the organisers anticipate to recoup the amount in a couple of weeks.

 

While the owners of the marigold gardens in Karnataka are charging Rs.50 to Rs.100 as entry fee for a person for a photography session, we are charging only Rs.20 per person, he said.

 

As the project is not a profit-making venture, the income generated from it would be disbursed among the HKS members, who keep the town clean, he added.

 

We are planning to launch cultural activities at the venue in connection with Onam from Sunday, Mr. Ramesh said.

 

A group of tribal women at Panappady in Noolpuzha grama panchayat have also set up a garden nearly 100-metres away from the Kozhikode-Kollegal National Highway 766. They have set the garden on half an acre of rented land. As many as 5,000 marigold plants blooming in yellow and orange would be a visual treat to visitors.

 

They have launched the pilot project with financial assistance from the Tribal Development department under the Haritarashmi project implemented through the Centre for Management Development (CMD).

 

The project aims at attracting tribal people to farming after imparting its basics.

 

'We have sold nearly 300 kg of marigold flowers when 30% of harvest has been completed. The price varies from Rs.80 to Rs.150 a kg depending on the market rate,' Anu Alfonsa, project officer, CMD said.

 

Kottathara grama panchayat has also set up a garden on half an acre of land apart from many a farmer who tried their luck in floriculture during the season.

A meeting between Ministers for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister for Trade & Export Growth, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, Minister for Land Information and Minister for Rural Communities of New Zealand Shri Damien O’Connor was held here today. Both the leaders reiterated their commitments to work together in strengthening the agricultural cooperation and collaboration between the two countries.

 

A meeting between Ministers for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister for Trade & Export Growth, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, Minister for Land Information and Minister for Rural Communities of New Zealand Shri Damien O’Connor was held here today. Both the leaders reiterated their commitments to work together in strengthening the agricultural cooperation and collaboration between the two countries.

 

Shri Tomar informed the New Zealand Minister about India’s initiatives in celebrating the year 2023 as International Years of Millet and sought their cooperation in promoting the health and other benefits of Millets. Both Ministers emphasised the potential of the partnership envisaged in the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) being finalized between the two countries for overall development of Horticulture.

 

The Ministers assured each other of their commitments towards maintaining quality and safety of the agricultural commodities being traded between the two countries and resolved to continuing working on phytosanitary measures and systems. The Ministers also discussed the importance of developing a sustainable and climate resilient agricultural system. The New Zealand Minister invited India to join the Global Research Alliance which is an alliance of 67 countries for sharing researches on mitigation of climate change impacts on agriculture.